Forever Family 2
by Masstheory
Summary: "It is well that war is so terrible, otherwise we should grow too fond of it." (Robert E. Lee)
1. Chapter 1

**And we return after a few weeks of silence. We return with another installement of Forever Family. (Note to those who have not read the first installment is that is something that I recommend.) I did take a lot more artistic integrity when it came to Mass Effect three, adding a whole bunch of OCs, some of which replace characters I despised. Expect rewrites on missions and yeah, we're good to go. Read, Enjoy, Review. **

When John was alone, his mind would always drift back to Mindoir, his mind wondering what would have happened if things had gone different. Would he have joined the Alliance? Or would he have stayed on Mindoir? Would he have become a farmer like his father or mother, or would he have ventured off like his brother to see the great depths of space? Would he be a father by now? Would he watch over his own child as they ran about and played with their toys in the yard as he had once done? Those were thoughts that went through his mind as he watched the child play about in the small garden from his room. He sighed as he leaned against the window. He wished he was on Earth for the first time in ten years underneath much better circumstances. And maybe with a certain someone else.

The past six months had been reduced to this, him sitting in his room as he waited for something to do,\ between the several trials that he was going through, leaving him to watch the world outside and think. This was a common thought in his head. At lot of what ifs bounced around. What if he had never been born on Mindoir and he was born on Earth? What if he'd never been sent to Eden Prime? What if the Reapers didn't exist? Where would he be now? How would his life be different? He sighed as each time he had to remind himself that what he had now wasn't so bad. His sister had been talking to him as much as she could through the secure Alliance channels, telling him about her efforts to raise an army and how she had lost contact with Garrus a while ago. His sister and his friend had been going steady for a little, only separating because of the coming war. And Tali…..He hadn't heard from Tali in over three months, since his sister fell out of contact as well. Tali was back with her fleet, helping her people and preparing them for war with the Reapers instead of the geth. Her last message said that the Quarians were cutting all contact with Council space to prepare for war. The Collectors had put things into perspective for everyone.

He pushed away from the window as the child was called inside by his mother, the excited young man dropping his toy and sprinting inside. As he did so, the door behind him opened, letting in two Alliance soldiers. The first was a Lieutenant James Vega, a man who still held him in high esteem despite being placed as his guard for the charges that had been put against him. He was wearing his casual outfit, a white Alliance shirt with practical pants and a head of black hair that had been shaved into a Mohawk. He walked in, saluting the man before them. "Commander." Vega greeted.  
"You're not supposed to call me that anymore, James." John told the man, shaking his head as he ignored the other person. Probably just another guard, sent to make sure he didn't run away. It was a female form, in the typical Alliance outfit. Her helmet was on, so her face was masked, but something about her form seemed awfully familiar.

"Not supposed to salute you either." James told him with a shrug. "Come on, we got to go. Defense committee wants to see you." James turned, and he and the guard turned to lead John out of the room.

"Sounds important." John commented, tossing a datapad that he had picked up onto the bed. He quickly caught up, following the Soldier as he left the room. "What's with the armed guard?"

"She's not a guard. She's a Lieutenant Commander in the Fifth Fleet. Defense committee wants her there to. Don't bother talking to her, she doesn't talk." Vega told him as they walked, shoving past people who was rushing past them. John looked around with curiosity. He'd never seen this place so busy before, people were rushing about almost as if in a panic.

"What's going on?" John asked as he let a woman past him before rushing back up to where James was.

"Couldn't say, they just told me they needed you. Now." James told him, pushing through other people. John nodded and looked towards the approaching crowd. He smiled as he saw a familiar face pushing his way through the crowd towards him, a smile on his face as well.

"Anderson." John greeted, stepping forward and shaking hands with the man vigorously. Anderson smiled and quickly led them away, with James falling behind the three people with a higher rank than himself. John took a moment to look Anderson over. It hadn't been too long since Anderson quit the position of the Councilor to Udina and went back to being an Admiral. The politician's life never suited him but John thought it was a loss. He didn't think having someone like Udina was a such a good idea for Councilor.

"You look good Shepard. Maybe a little soft around the edges." Anderson gave a small joke as they walked, patting John's stomach. Her turned to their other walked, looking at her for a moment before saying: "You're the new Lieutenant Commander, right?" The woman nodded and took the hand that Anderson had told her, without any of them having to stop. Noting the woman's lack of talking, he turned back to John and asked: "How have you been since being relieved of duty?"

"It's not so bad once you get used to the hot food and soft beds." John joked with him as they were forced to shove their way through another massive crowd once they turned a corner. Anderson promised to have it sorted out, finally getting to the question that John wanted to ask: "What's going on? Why's everyone in such a hurry?" Anderson paused for a moment, as if dreading the question before answering.

"Admiral Hackett's mobilizing the fleets. I'm guessing word's made it to Alliance Command…..something big is headed our way." Anderson told him as they walked. John stopped as a since of dread hit him. He knew what this was. The day that they all had been dreading. Ever since he had been forced to…..He knew it was only a matter of time before they got here.

"The Reapers?" John asked, looking at his old friend with small hope. Every fiber of his being wished for Anderson to look him in the eye and, with more certainty than he had ever said anything else, that John was wrong and the Reapers weren't here yet. Six month's behind bureaucratic bullshit had left little time to gather the forces needed to even slow the Reapers advance. Anderson stopped halfway up the stairs and turned to look at John.

"We don't know. Not for certain." Was his response. To John, that was as good as the man telling him the Reaper was in plain sight. John clenched his fists and let loose a storm of curses and foul names at those who had grounded him. He spent six months doing absolutely nothing while they fought over political bullshit that hadn't matter, six months he could have used gathering an army.

"What else could it be?" John reminded.

"If I knew that…." Anderson stopped before he finished, leaving the rest up to John's imagination. He was aware that the Lieutenant Commander had stopped with them, and was watching their argument with a silent observation. Somehow, he couldn't shake the feeling that she was smiling beneath her helm, silently mocking both of them.

"You know we're not ready for them, not by a long shot." John told him, staring at his friend. Anderson shook his head and continued forward, Shepard and the Lieutenant Commander following him as they walked.

"Tell that to the defense committee." Anderson told him as they continued on.

"Unless we're planning on talking the Reapers to death, the committee is a waste of time." John bitterly reminded. It had taken them six months to decide what they were going to with John after the events of the Alpha relay. They needed to appease the Batarians in order to risk another war, but by convicting them, they risked showing the galaxy that its biggest war hero was now a war criminal,

"They're just scared, none of them have seen what you've seen." Anderson defended the committee. Maybe they needed to, to understand the scale of the enemy that they were currently dealing. "You've faced down a Reaper. Hell, you spoke to one, then blew the damn thing up! You've seen how they harvest us, what they plan to do to us. You know more about this enemy than anyone."

"Is that why they grounded me? Took away my ship?" Was John's immediate reply. He was still upset the day he had landed on Earth, only to have a squad of Marines threaten to gun him down unless he surrendered, which he had already down. Those that had remained on his crew had immediately been sent off, back to their homeworlds or fleets. Anderson stopped and rounded on him, pointing a finger at him.

"You know that's not true. When you blew up the batarian relay, hundreds of thousands batarians were killed." Anderson almost yelled at him.

"It was that or let the Reapers walk through our back door." John defended him.

"I know that Shepard, and the committee does too. If it wasn't for that, you would have been immediately court martialed and left to rot in the brig." Anderson told him.

"That and your good word?" John accused, knowing that one of the main reasons he received leniency was because of Anderson.

"Yeah, I trust you Shepard. And so does the committee." Anderson answered, as if it was nothing to be surprised about. John sighed as he realized he was being too hard on his friend. The stress of spending six months doing absolutely nothing coupled with the arrival of the Reapers was getting to him.

"I'm just a soldier Anderson. I'm no politician." John told him.

"I don't need you to be either! I just need you to do whatever the hell you can to stop the Reapers." Anderson told him and the four began their walk again. John still couldn't shake the feeling that this female Lieutenant Commander was eerily familiar without even hearing her voice or seeing her face. He shook it from his head and continued following Anderson. They entered the secretary's office to the committee, the two uniforms at the desk standing at Anderson's presence. He paid them little mind and proceeded right into security, followed closely by the three Alliance soldiers.

"Good luck in there Shepard." James said as they reached the point where he could no longer follow. Only certain people were allowed past this point, the Lieutenant Commander and John being the only exception because of the summons. John shook James' hand, glad to have met the man at least before the coming war. He was aware that the Lieutenant Commander had remained behind with him instead of following Anderson.

"Shepard?" He heard a familiar voice say behind him. John turned and watched as an old friend stared at him in surprise. He quickly cleared the room towards Kaiden with a surprised look on his face. Kaiden, with the rank he was at when John last met him, shouldn't have been able to get this far back without special clearance.  
"Kaiden?" He said as he neared. He felt the Lieutenant Commander tense up near him, but she didn't offer an explanation.

"Major, how'd it go in there?" Anderson asked, trying to get Kaiden's mind back on the task before him.

"Okay. I think. Hard to know. I'm just waiting for orders now." Kaiden told him with a shrug. John realized it made sense now, Kaiden had been with him during his hunt for Saren. It would only make sense that he would be called in as well, when it came to the Reapers.

"Major?" John wondered, torn between being glad that she had gotten the promotion to upset that he had not been told about it. Anderson seemed surprised about his lack of knowledge, giving him a sideways glance as he said:

"You hadn't heard?" John tightened his jaw but said nothing.

"No, I'm a bit of the loop these days." John replied, losing the humor in his eyes as he looked at Kaiden. Kaiden recognized the look and shrugged.

"Sorry sir, didn't mean to keep you out of the loop." Kaiden apologized, though John could sense that he didn't feel particularly bad about it. But John didn't need to fight this fight right now, not while the Reapers were so close.

"I'm sure you had your reasons." John excused Kaiden.

"Yeah. I suppose I did." Kaiden agreed, looking away as he said this. But he shook his head a second later and looked at John. "Still, its good to see you." Before they could talk anymore, they were interrupted by one of the secretaries who called Anderson's name. Anderson waved and strode into the next room with determination. John looked at Kaiden as he walked past, the major attempting to give him a smile but it slowly fading as John continued to walk. Kaiden still didn't trust him, even after he cut ties with Cerberus and destroyed the Collector base. The Lieutenant Commander next to him huffed and walked faster than John, following Anderson into the room.

When John entered the room, he was met with the sight of five Alliance Admiral turning towards him expectantly. People were rushing about even this room, though many were stopping as the three entered the room. "Admiral Anderson. Shepard. Lieutenant Commander." The head of the committee greeted as they entered the room.

"What's the situation?" John wondered, looking around at the bustling room.

"We were hoping that you would tell us." The head said, looking at John uncomfortably. A man came from his side, handing John a datapad with everything they knew about it. It was pitifully short, amounting to that something very large and numerous had used the Sol Relay and was now headed their way. Some scattered reports from corrupted transmissions mentioned something about the batarians already being hit and the hegemony destroyed. Then, it was a mountain of reports that said almost the same thing. Something very large and very angry was heading their way with an obvious intent.

"The reports are like anything we've seen. Whole colonies have gone dark. We've lost all contact with everything outside of the Sol Relay." Another one of the members spoke up, her face lit with obvious fear.

"Whatever this is, it is incomprehendably powerful." The head spoke again. The Lieutenant Commander leaned back on one leg as she heard this, a scolding chuckle coming from underneath her helm.

"In short, the Reapers have come knocking and they're too afraid to look out the window to see who it is." The Lieutenant Commander commented at the committee, speaking for the first time since she was around John. John paused for a moment as he considered this Lieutenant. Her voice was garbled and deeper than he would have suspected, giving the tell-tale sign of a voice scrambler, but he felt as though as shock of familiarity surged through him as she talked. He knew whoever was beneath this helm but he didn't know for certain who. The room went silent as she said this, as if the fears of everyone in the room had just been confirmed despite the evidence being plain to see.

"Then….how do we stop them?" The female councilor asked, her voice literally shaking with the realization. John looked at Anderson before shaking his head and looking at the committee.

"Stop them? This is about strategy or tactics. This is about survival." John told them, stepping forward. "The Reapers are more advanced than we are. More powerful. More intelligent. They don't fear us and they'll never take pity on us."

"But…there must be some way." Pleaded the female councilor.

"If we're going to have any chance at surviving this, we have to stand together." John told them. People were going to have to get over old prejudices and hate to let them have any chance at winning this war.

"What? That's our plan?" The head complained.

"You got a better one?" The Lieutenant Commander challenged, stepping up in defense of John. Who was this woman?

"Admiral!" Called a nearby communications officer. "We've just lost contact with Luna base!"

"How'd they get past our defenses?" The female on the committee said, her voice full of disbelief. Before they could answer the communications officer informed them that their UK headquarters had a visual, pulling up a video on a screen. The entire room stopped to watch it, waiting for the video to decrypt. When it did, it showed an Alliance officer shouting desperately at the Camera, but the audio was so garbled that no one could make out what the man was saying. The man continued the angry shouting for a few moments before an explosion happened just off screen, causing the video to go black. Then, the committee and John watched in horror as image after image of Reaper Capital ship in all the major cities. Beijing, London, New York. They were already on Earth, already beginning their invasion. The video paused on the perfect shot of a Reaper capital ship in some desert area, sand obstructing only a partial view of it. John barely heard Anderson wonder why Admiral Hackett hadn't contacted them as he looked at the screen in anger.

"What do we do?" The head of the committee asked, his voice less angry than it had been before. The Lieutenant Commander responded to this, stepping away from the screen and striding towards them.

"The only thing we can do! We fight or we die!" She told them. John slowly began to realize something. The reason the woman was so familiar, why he seemed to know what she was thinking without even seeing her expression.

"We should get to the Normandy." Anderson told John, stepping up next to him. John opened his mouth to answer only to be stopped by a thundering noise that shook the building. John spotted it first, his eyes widening as he did. The committee turned to see what he was seeing, each one of them standing from their chair and looking out the window as they realized what gave Commander Shepard pause. They all watched, helpless, as a massive Reaper descended from the clouds, a laser ripping through the city, destroying a skyscraper with ease. John and the Lieutenant Commander reached the same conclusion at the same time.

"Move!" John yelled as they turned as ran away from the window. No sooner had he said that, did a laser hit the window and send an explosion barreling at them. The explosion instantly killed the committee, frying those closest to the window while throwing the rest across the room with the table they had sat at. Anyone who didn't get caught in the explosion was hit by the desk, crushed under its extreme weight, the only exceptions being the three who had been summoned by the committee. John barely recovered when another explosion hit the building, tossing him into the air along with the Lieutenant Commander.

His back slammed into a set of chairs across the room, sending pain shooting throughout his body he slid off. His ears were ringing from the explosion and everything was out of focus. So many sounds at once, so many noises that it was deafening. Did he hear laughter? Why was someone laughing? He thought he heard his name about the ringing and the sounds but he wasn't sure. Then, someone came into view. It was the Lieutenant Commander, her armor singed and torn apart from the explosion but she was otherwise unharmed as she forced John to his feet. "Get your ass up. Now is not the time for a nap!" She was yelling at him, as everything was coming into focus. Her helmet was gone, revealing that what John had concluded early was the truth. His sister was the Lieutenant Commander.

* * *

**In this installment, the narrative is going to focus on John a lot more than it is Johanna, since ME3 emphasis on the grit of war adds to the story. Also, I figured I'd outline the Earth prologue because it sets the setting for the rest of the story. I skipped Mars though. Uh, yeah that's about it. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Heyo, back with Chapter 2, though late in the day. Early morning updates are getting harder now that I'm allowed to sleep in. So, I'm updating now. Anyways, here's chapter 2. Read, Enjoy, Review.**

"Take this, we got to get moving!" Johanna told him, handing him a pistol from her side. Anderson was already up, checking the committee for survivors as he desperately tried to radio in for some help. John didn't help, he knew they were all dead. The Reapers blast had been aimed directly at them, as if it knew this room contained some of the highest members of the Alliance. Or maybe the Reapers were aiming for him and they were just collateral damage. He wasn't sure what thought was more disturbing. Johanna had left John standing there and was preparing her own weapon, an Avenger rifle that she was currently programming for inferno rounds, as she stared at what was left of Sydney. John walked up beside her as Anderson get in contact with Kaiden, ordering him to go get the Normandy, staring at the city. Fire was falling from the sky as the debris from the fleet surrounding earth fell into the city. The city, which had been standing tall and bright not moments early, was now filled with screams and burning inferno as massive Reaper ships began to tear through the streets with their lasers.

"One minute and the world has already gone to shit." Johanna growled, staring at it. "We weren't ready for them by years." John wanted to disagree, but watching as massive laser ripped through the buildings without trouble, the words caught in his throat. Anderson walked over to them, joining them as the silence enveloped them. Then, nodding to one another, they stepped forward and slid down onto one of the metal supports of the building.

"So, what are you doing in Sydney? And in Alliance uniform?" John asked as they began their tract across the beams. The training the three of them had allowed them to balance without a second thought, able to walk the tight beams without paying much attention to where they placed their feet.

"Uh…long or short version?" Johanna questioned as she fell in behind Admiral Anderson. The Admiral was being unnaturally silent, beyond telling them that Major Alenko was fetching the Normandy, realizing that it was better to let the two siblings catch up. He looked over his sister. She looked like she normally did, with the exception of her hair being much longer than normal and left flowing down to her shoulders. They paused and shielded their eyes as a Reaper laser hit a part of the building just in front of them, causing it to explode in a spectacular inferno. "How do you kill something so powerful?"

"You don't let them get to your planet in the first place." John muttered. "Give me the short." He said, sprinting forward as they cleared where the Reaper had cut a swath in their path. Johanna followed a second later and nodded her head.

"Alright!" She said, regaining her jogging pace. "Was gathering mercs out in the Terminus systems. Realized that a bunch of assholes with a gun wasn't going to do much other than get themselves killed. Figured a second voice yelling at the Alliance would cause them to act, so I came to Sydney to rejoin." She stopped and jumped off a small fall, landing on her feet with ease and waiting for John to follow. "Didn't expect to get stonewalled for three goddamn months while they focused on the Alpha relay incident."

"You went AWOL. You should've been arrested the moment you stepped foot in here." John reminded as they continued along the beams. They were almost to the balcony of a nearby apartment, on that would offer them a path without the imminent worry of slipping and falling to their death. They stopped for a moment as they watched a few Oculi chase down an Alliance fighter. John tightened his grip on his gun as he watched the fighter take fire. There was nothing he could do. He had to keep moving.

"Yeah, under normal circumstances. But for all the Alliance knows. I was in a deep cover Op team that infiltrated Cerberus in an attempt to gain information on the growing group. Cerberus assigned me to your squad when you worked with them, and we took down the Collectors. Passed them what I could then they allowed me back." Johanna told him. John scoffed and realized this must be her covert way of telling him that she hacked their system and changed her records. He almost told her that there was no need, that Anderson had bigger things on his plate than some soldier who came back to the Alliance illegally, but held his tongue. Not now.

'Lieutenant Commander?" He questioned as they reached a ladder. Anderson went first, clearing the two or three rungs with each step. Johanna turned towards John and shrugged.

"Figured I deserved a promotion after all the shit that I had to go through." She told him, before jumping onto the ladder and following Anderson. They traveled in silence for a few seconds, leaping over an air conditioning unit before anything happened. Anderson got ahold of Kaiden again, and patched Shepard in.

"We're almost to the Normandy!" Was the first thing John heard over the gunshots in the background. "I've got Lieutenant Vega with me, but we're taking heavy fire. I've already lost three people."

"We're about five minutes out." Anderson promised as they leapt over some more vents for the AC units that lined the roof tops. They were almost to the balcony, walking over a pathway that connected the office building with Alliance Headquarters. "Husks!" He suddenly called, firing his pistol as a wave a husks began to scale the side of the building. Under the combined fire of the three on the walkway, the husks fell easily. But the amount of husks that had been climbing on the building had cut a massive hole into their ammo reserves. They only had a thermal clip between them by the time they were done. Quickly, they jumped down the ladder and hurried towards the office building, only to stop as another wave of husks come from behind and ran forward. John used the last of his ammo to take down the first few, then sent the last one over the railing with a biotic fueled punch. However, it left him too close to the building.

A Reaper nearby roared and slammed a laser into the area nearby, quickly dragging it and hitting the apartment building, causing to explode. John barely had enough time to slide away from it before the searing heat hit his back and blistered the back of his neck. John stood back up, his sister getting behind him and practically shoving him into the building. "We seriously need to move!" She offered as she came to a malfunctioning door. She opened her omni-tool to fix it only to have it spring open at the last second, allowing a husk to squeeze in halfway and begin to claw at them, like a zombie from an old movie. Johanna took this one down, an omni-blade sprouting from her tool and cutting the husk's head in half.

John forced open the door, holding it open as Johanna and Anderson ducked underneath his arm and into the next room. Just as he was about to step through into the next room, he heard a loud clatter that neither Johanna or Anderson seemed to have notice. He stepped back into the room that had exploded not a moment early, wondering if someone had been fortunate to survive the explosion. He looked around for a moment before he found the source of the noise, stepping cautiously over to the nearby vent system. Bending down onto one knee, he looked in and saw something that broke his heart. The child, the one he watched from the window so many times was sitting there, his eyes wide with fear. How did he get over here? Why would he come here? "Hey." John said as gently as he could. "It's okay."

"Everyone's dying." The child cried at him, looking at him with fear. John smiled as best he could despite the circumstances, about to coax the child out of vent when the building shook from a nearby Reaper walking beside the building.

"Come here. I need to get you someplace safe." He told him. He couldn't save everyone today, but he could save this one child. The child scooted back farther into the vent, shaking his head at John's promise. "Take my hand…." John reached his hand into the vents towards the child. The child just shook his head.

"You can't help me." The child told him. John started for a moment. Why would a child say that? Was this war already so hopeless that a child had given up hope only a few minutes into it?

"John!" Johanna's voice snapped him out of his reverie. He looked back towards his sister as she stood, looking at him in worry. "We need to move." He opened his mouth to protest, looking back towards the child, but it caught in his throat when he realized that the child had disappeared. In the background, he heard a Reaper growl bringing back to the war. He shook his head and stood up, following his sister into the next room as his thoughts bounced around his head. Why hadn't heard the child leave, how did he move so silently?

"This is a goddamn mess." Anderson greeted them as they reentered the room. The Admiral picked up a beam and tossed it down into a large crevice. "Every minute those machines are here, thousands of people die. I won't be responsible." John thought back to the child in the vents as Anderson said this.

"It's hard fighting a war, but it's worse knowing that no matter how hard you try…..you can't save them all." John told the Admiral.

"You're not responsible for the ones that die. We fight for the one's that are left standing when it's all over." Johanna told him, going under the debris after Anderson. John shook his head. His sister and him always saw battle different.

"Maybe she's right." Anderson agreed, looking back at the two siblings before walking over to where a large pile of rubble was. "They hit so fast…I thought we'd have more time to prepare. We knew they were coming, and they still cut right through our defenses." Anderson sighed and shook his head. "We need to go to the Citadel. Talk to the council."

"The council? The fight's here?" John protested.

"They'll be everywhere soon enough. You said it yourself…The Reapers will destroy everything if we don't stop them." Anderson told him. John nodded in agreement, realizing Anderson was right. They needed allies to beat the Reapers. "The Council has to help us."

"You sure about that?" Johanna asked skeptically as she began to shuffle along a wall of debris, staring warily at the large crevice she was walking along the edge of.

"No, but Shepard is a Council Spectre, that has to count for something." Anderson suggested. The building shook, almost sending John into the crevice only to be caught by his sister. He nodded his thanks and continued on, getting out on the other side. Luckily, it seemed as though as recent battle had taken place in there in favor of the Marines, leaving a few dead husks and enough thermal clips to replenish their supplies. They quickly ran forward, jumping out a window that had been broken out and traveling along the beams of the building once more. John tried to keep his attention on running but he couldn't help but watch with horrified awe as a Reaper landed in front of them, the massive form much larger than he remembered. He never really faced a fully developed one on foot and he regretted that he could no longer say that.

"Major Alenko. We're in sight of the spaceport. ETA 3 minutes." Anderson said ahead of them.

"We've made it to the Normandy. Taking heavy fire…..Oh god!" Kaiden said, causing them to pause for a moment as they watched was the Major was no doubt watching. A dreadnaught was fighting desperately with the Reaper that had just landed, its powerful shots slamming into the Reaper, but causing no visible damage. It's hull was on fire and a few escape pods shot off from the ship, saving the non-essential personnel. "They're going to take down the dreadnaught! Evasive maneuvers!" The line went dead after he said that, Anderson desperately trying to regain communications as they ran. They were forced to stop as a brilliant ball of fire blinded them, the result of the ship exploding. John, under the shield that his arm offered, saw the water rippling as the force of the explosion came flying at them. The knowledge about what was about to happen hit him a moment before the shockwave did. That one second of preparation saved him from breaking his back as he was sent backwards into the wall behind him.

"Shit!" Johanna cried as the floor collapsed from underneath them, sending them tumbling down four floors worth, skidding along the metal of the building as they did so. It ripped the skin off his forearms but on the bright side, it slowed his fall enough to only knock the wind out of him when he hit the floor. He stood before Johanna this time, walking over to where she laying with a groan. He grabbed his sister and pulled her to her feet, her alliance armor now cracked even more. It would now be useless in a standalone fight.

"Normandy. We're going to have to reroute do you copy?" Anderson sounded as he ran up to them. They didn't stop long enough to fully recover, moving across a bridge of support beams that had fallen off the building above them. They were met with only static, Kaiden not responding to any of their attempts to get through. John grit his teeth and shook his head. Their radios probably went out, Kaiden wouldn't be killed so easily, he was a better soldier than that. "Friendlies." Anderson commented, stopping them as two Alliance pilots came into view. A falling support beam had one of their legs trapped underneath in while the other desperately typed something into his omni-tool. They jumped down, running over to assist the man.

"You two alright?" John asked, looking around to make sure that the Reaper was going to step on them.

"Get down!" The one on the omni-tool immediately greeted them. "They'll see you!" Movement caught John's eyes and he turned to see three husk like creatures emerge from the a nearby inferno. They looked like Batarians, but bloated grotesquely and with the ever present blue glow that husks seemed to have. The one in the lead spotted him and roared a mechanical roar at him, leveling a rifle at him. A second later its head exploded as Johanna pulled the trigger on her rifle.

"Piss off." Was all she told it, before John ripped apart the other two with a biotic shockwave that sent the remains into the water. Anderson nodded before he and John went over to the trapped Alliance pilot, working simultaneously to lift the beam off of him.

"What happened here?" Anderson asked the moment the man was free. The one who had been on his omni-tool quickly applied a healthy dosage of medi-gel onto his friend's wounds before he answered.

"Our gunship was shot down…..we barely made it." The uninjured pilot told them.

"You have a radio? We're trying to contact our ship." Anderson asked, looking around for anymore of the Cannibals. The Reaper ground forces didn't have technical names to their abominations and Cannibals just seemed to fit. John was sure that he had seen a few ripping apart one of their own fallen.

"No. There's one in the gunship, but it's gonna be crawling with those things." John looked over the rubble at the tail of the ship, jutting above the pile of rubble that it had crashed behind. "We'd go with you, but Roy shattered his ankle and it's my job to keep him safe until evac arrives." They nodded their understanding and looked towards each other as they eyed the gunship. It was time to get off this planet. They hurried across the makeshift bridge that had been crushing Roy, and quickly fought their way through the gunship. John's biotics and Johanna's deadeye made the Reaper forces fall underneath them with ease. They rushed to the radio, the obstacles gone and Anderson quickly began to contact the Normandy.

"Catch!" Johanna called, kicking a nearby Avenger rifle into the air and towards John. John caught it with one hand, holstering his pistol as he did so. It had been a while since he had held a gun but the familiar feel of it felt nice in his hands. "We have company." She told him, motioning towards the falling fire that announced the Reaper forces. The way that they dropped their troops in reminded John of the geth. Maybe the geth had adopted their fighting style from the Reapers, they did view them as gods after all. It was like how the Hanar worshipped the Protheans.

"Normandy, this is Anderson. Do you read?" Anderson asked as the drops landed behind a nearby pile of rubble. The two siblings raised their weapons, preparing for the coming battle.

"Admiral! What's you location?" Kaiden immediately responded, his voice ringing out from the radio. John and Johanna exchanged a look as the lack of Reapers seemed odd. They had landed, so why were they taking as long as possible to get out.

"By the downed gunship in the harbor. I'm activating it's emergency beacon, hold on." Anderson relayed, hitting a series of buttons that caused the radio to begin to blink. "Send support, we have wounded down here." Kaiden didn't answer, the radio only answering Anderson's order with white noise. "Major?" Anderson asked, as if trying to confirm what they all knew had just happened. "Damn it. We must have lost the signal." Anderson growled, raising his pistol as he stepped away from the radio. "Let's hope that beacon does its job."

"And fast. We got hostiles!" Johanna called from beside John, pulling the trigger on her gun as Cannibals flooded from the debris they had landed behind earlier. John's eyes widened as he realized that they must have been gathering their forces behind the rubble, waiting to strike. It was likely that the Reapers were also blocking their signals. They quickly dove behind the nearest cover, keeping fire on the Reapers forces, preventing them from getting closer. John cut down cannibal after cannibal, but they didn't stop, surging forward with relentlessness. Before long, his Avenger was hanging uselessly on his back, and he was burning through his last thermal clip with his pistol. The Reapers were pressing on them, offering them no chance of escape.

"Cavalry's here gentlemen!" Joker's voice called into their radios just when John's last thermal clip popped free of his gun. The Normandy dove in, dropping an entire payload of explosives on the Reaper forces assaulting them, causing a shower of burning flesh and cybernetics. Behind it was a fleet of Alliance shuttles, which had followed Normandy. Several separated off, flying off to the Alliance headquarters to provide support but one remained behind, depositing three Alliance N7 commandoes. One raised his sniper, firing off a precision shot that ripped through the head of a nearby husk that had been charging Shepard.

"We got you covered!" The leader of the commandoes called, firing his assault rifle at the approaching husks. John nodded and sprinted forward, side-stepping a husk and jumping onto the nearby barricade. A husk attempted to snatch at his ankles, but John took a flying leap over the husk, moments before a precise sniper shot ripped through its head and sent it to the floor. The Normandy's bay doors opened as he ran, revealing Kaiden, James and two other alliance soldiers as their guns entered the fray, tearing apart the husks and cannibals as they charged them. The three N7 commandos held their own against the overwhelming force, drawing most of the attention towards them. John leapt first, landing on the Normandy's docking bay door with a thud, shortly followed by Johanna.

"Welcome aboard Shepard!" Kaiden greeted before returning fire towards a Cannibal that was charging them. John nodded and watched Anderson as he started to slow down as he neared the cargo hold doors.

"Come on!" John yelled, waving for Anderson to hurry. Anderson hesitated, turning towards the N7 commandoes as they finished off the last of the Reaper's forces.

"I'm not going." Anderson told him, shaking his head. "You can see those men back there. There's a million more like them, and they need a leader."

"We're in this fight together!" John protested.

"It's a fight we can't win. Not without help. We need every species and all their ships, if we're even to have a chance of defeating the Reapers." John gritted his teeth. Anderson was right, and John hated him for that. "Talk to the council. Convince them to help us."

"What if they don't listen?" John growled. He wasn't a politician. Anderson had experience dealing with the council, working in their ranks. John was a soldier, meant for hitting his enemies.

"Then make them listen!" Anderson ordered. "Now go! That's an order!"

"I don't take orders from you anymore, remember?" John argued. Anderson paused for a moment, pulling a pair of dog tags from his pocket. Then, he turned towards Johnathon and threw the dog tags at him, John barely catching the tags before they flew past.

"Consider yourself reinstated, Commander." John looked at the dog tags. It would be easy just to throw the dog tags back, refuse the reinstation so that he had no obligation to follow the orders he didn't want to follow. But following the orders he didn't want to follow was part of his job, and as much as he hated it, these orders made sense. Galactic unity was the one thing that the Reapers feared, the thing that had made Sovereign act under the guise of a simple ship until the assault on the Citadel. It was the only thing that would stop the Reapers. "You know what you have to do."

"I'll be back for you, and I'll bring every fleet I can!" John promised, pocketing his dog tags. John turned away, as if to walk into the Normandy before pausing, turning around and looking at Anderson with a look of worry. "Good luck." He told his old friend.

"You too, Shepard." Was his final good-bye before he turned and jogged over to where the N7 commandoes had set up, waiting for another assault of the Reapers. The group of the clamp turned to enter the Normandy, only John stopping as he spotted something. Two of the shuttles that had broken off were evacuating some non-combatants, pulling everything from lawyers to common bystanders. But a single white sweater caught his view, and the little boy he saw from earlier ran out from behind one of the shuttles. He was holding up one hand, blocking the wind from hitting him, looking around. And John could swear that the kid stopped when it passed over him, and it felt as though the boy was making eye contact with him.

"Get on a shuttle kid." John muttered, watching as the boy looked towards him. The boy jumped as if he heard it, shuffling over to the nearest shuttle, struggling to get on board. An Alliance soldier stood near him, looking around but ignoring the struggling boy. Why was the soldier ignoring a child that clearly had trouble getting up on his own? Thankfully, the boy climbed aboard the shuttle, just as the doors began to close. He looked towards the Normandy again, making eye contact with Shepard one last time before he was blocked from view. John almost smiled with relief, almost believed that the kid had escaped a horrible fate at the hands of the Reapers. Then a bright red laser hit ripped the other shuttle that had already taken off in half, sending the two pieces to the ground. A Reaper walked out of the cover of two of the skyscrapers, sending a final shot at the last shuttle, hitting it dead on. The shuttle exploded, instantly incarnating anything that had been in it. John turned away, not bearing to watch the following rain of fire that was coming. The Reapers would pay for this.

* * *

**As you can tell, I'm already setting up the ending I want. Note, it will have some parts of the Indoc theory in it, so if you're one of those warmongers, flee you fool. Anyways, Johanna also replaced the dialogue for Anderson for two reasons, 1. Because we all know Anderson's dialogue and 2. It's more of a review for the people who started playing Mass Effect at number 3. Last, I also included a deleted scene where a group of Commandos was supposed to come down and give Shepard and Anderson support to reach the Normandy. It kind of shows that Shepard is good but others can have their moments of glory.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Heyo! Back with update number 3, and I hope you all enjoy it. Like I said, I skipped Liara based missions and cutscenes. So, I'm starting out again just after the meeting with the council. Read, Enjoy, Review.**

"Commander Shepard! Commander, the people have questions!" Khalisah greeted John as he walked towards the elevators. John paused and took a deep breath. He really did not have time to deal with this woman. She'd been gunning after him since he was declared a Spectre, determined to show the galaxy that he was a maniacal villain behind the disguise of a galactic hero. But, determined not to give the woman any more to use against him, he turned and looked at her with as friendly a look he could summon after so many harassments. "Commander Shepard! Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani." She greeted, practically sprinting up to him. "Isn't it true that you were on Earth when the Reapers attacked?" John rubbed the bridge of his nose as he saw where this conversation was going to go. "How do you justify running away while millions of people on Earth die? Is that the best we can expect from the Alliance?" John almost swung at her, his fist clenching and his mind envisioning his fist connecting with her jaw, but he quelled his anger.

"I came to get help for Earth. For everyone." John told her, unclenching his fist.

"What about all the people suffering while you play politics with the council? What about them? How can you stand there while our families die? What are you going to do?" She demanded to know.

"The same thing I've been doing for the past three years: find a way to stop the Reapers." John told her, interrupting her before she could continue her rant. She may be a harasser, but she knew how to spin a news story to her favor, making an otherwise innocent action seem malicious. John's silver tongue had helped him out before but today, he didn't feel like playing who was the better speaker this time. "Get some help Khalisah. I have work to do."

"How can you stand there while our families die? What are you going to do?" She pleaded. John paused for a moment. This wasn't like Khalisah, she was breaking down on camera. Maybe this once, she actually had a reason for doing this.  
"Khalisah, we're doing everything we can." He promised her, placing a single hand on her shoulder for comfort.

"Before they cut the feeds, there were so many dead." She told John, her voice breaking as she said this.

"I'm going to stop the Reapers or die trying, but I need your help." John told her. He needed her to focus on the people that actually needed to be pressured instead of him or people already helping out. "Keep asking the hard questions. Don't let the council forget about Earth."

"I will. Thank you, Commander." Khalisah said, walking away to go harass Bailey again for an audience with the Council. She stopped a few steps away, looking back towards Shepard with a new look in her eyes. "You may be a violent thug, but I'm glad you're on our side." She paused before she turned away, smiling mischievously at John. "One day, we will have to talk about your Quarian." With that being said, she walked away, wondering if she could possibly mean Tali.

* * *

John had enough of reporters by the time he got back to the Normandy, so he was less than pleased when he saw yet another one harassing one of his Ensigns. Copeland, if he remembered right. She looked different from the other reporters, however. While most wore dresses, or some fancy clothing that made them look appealing on camera, this one was dressed like an Alliance soldier. She wore customized N7 armor, which was painted a dark black with a few crimson red stripes that went much the same way as John's did on his own armor. Her armor was a combination of an N7 chest plate, Kassa fabrication shoulder guards and the rest of her armor from Armax arsenal. On her back was an Avenger assault rifle with an extended barrel and scope and a shotgun with a smart choke and extended barrel as well. Around her head floated a little camera that was reinforced with armor plating and had the design of an electric shock attached to it.

She also didn't have the typical face of a reporter. She was easy on the eyes from a distance, but as John got closer he knew that this reporter had seen combat at some point. Her olive skin that was visible only on her face at the moment, was riddled with small scars that weren't obvious but were noticeable, with a rather large scar stretching from the left corner of her mouth to her earlobe. Her hair, a dark brown color put into a messy ponytail. She also seemed to favor her right leg, the left one suspended slightly in the air and taking as much weight off it as possible. "Ma'am, I can't say when we're deploying or where." Copeland told the woman with an exasperated sigh. She must have been harassing him for a while.

"But you're on the Normandy right?" She asked, her voice having a slight English accent to it, not enough to be noted by most people. "I watched it dock. Last I heard, it was on Earth. Did Commander Shepard escape?" Copeland didn't answer, spotting John watching the debate with a raised eyebrow. This was all the confirmation that the reporter needed. "He did, didn't he? So why would he be here, unless he wanted to speak to the council." Copeland motioned with his eyes towards John behind him, causing the woman to turn towards John.

"Ma'am, I can't talk about this." Copeland told her, standing and walking away from where she had been harassing.

"Thanks for your time, soldier." She told him as he walked away, turning towards John as she turned. "Commander Shepard." She greeted with a salute.

"What's going on here?" John asked.

"Commander, just who I was looking for. Master Sergeant Samantha Crane. Alliance News Network. I think we can help each other." She told him, extending her hand. John took it before he crossed his arms and looked at her.

"I suppose you want an interview." John guessed, tired of the reporters hassling him.

"Better than that." Samantha explained, looking at him. "I'm a war correspondent on a show called 'Battlespace'. We're carried on about all the Council worlds and some that aren't. My job is reporting from active battlefields, showing the people at home the sacrifices and triumphs of our boys at war while also doubling as a valuable information gatherer. I'm allowed to embed myself on an Alliance ship and I figured the Normandy would be the best option."

"And why would I want that?" John wondered with a shake of the head. The last thing he needed was to guard a war correspondent during the Reaper war. Samantha laughed as if this was a poor question to ask.

"People at home, especially other species would love to ignore the fact we have an active war going on until it hits them. I want to be on the Normandy because I have no doubt that the Normandy will see the worst the Reapers have to offer. It'll provide for me to give the rest of the races the kick in the ass that they need. Alliance Command would also get valuable access to Reaper tactics by first hand experience. Wars can be won or lost in the editing room. I believe that we need to win this war." Samantha told him. "I've got Alliance clearance and can operate without a crew. Got N7 training as a sentinel and best of all, you get veto power over all segments."

"You have N7 training?" John asked, surprise and little skeptical at her claim. He suspected that the N7 armor had been for show or a replica to boost ratings.

"Ran Alliance Black Op units for a couple years then I got put in charge of a Council Black Op unit for three years before a Cerberus terrorist snapped my patella in half." She shrugged as she shook the leg that she was taking her weight off of. "Got an old implant in, flares up occasionally so normally I'm walking better than this. I won't hamper you in the battlefield, Commander."

"If you don't mind me asking, why would a soldier who ran a Black Op get into the reporting business?" John wondered. It seemed odd that someone that was in the line of work of keeping secrets and completing covert assignments, would go immediately to exposing secrets kept by politicians and Alliance officials.

"Got tired of keeping secrets. I've saved the Council and some high ranking Alliance officials more than time than I can count, and I'm not even eligible for a single medal because of its secrecy. So, figured I could expose others secrecy best I could." Samantha told him. She paused for a moment before smiling and saying: "Plus, I really love yelling at politican's without the threat of a court martial."

"The Normandy is going to go behind enemy lines, mostly to secure treaties and do missions in the thick of reaper territory. Surely it would be safer to get aboard a dreadnaught, or another ship that will be on the frontlines." John told her.

"Sure, but they lack the one thing that will get just about any species watching." Samantha told him. "You." John didn't seemed surprise. Just about everyone knew his name when he approached them, but he rarely knew them. "You're the first human Spectre and in your first year as Spectre, you defeated Saren and saved the Council. Killed a giant sentient machine that threatened the Citadel. Destroyed the Collectors in a suicide mission and didn't lose a single man. You're a pretty impressive soldier." She paused for a moment before smiling mischievously again. "Your Quarian girlfriend spices things up as well."

"Khalisah mentioned that as well. How did you know?" John asked. He never really attempted to hide his relationship with Tali, but he didn't flaunt it about either. Samantha laughed at this, as if he was asking her a very funny question.

. "Ever since you were spotted in that club six months ago, the citadel has been in a media firestorm about it. Picked yourself a curvy one too. I prefer my girls a little more endowed but damn if I wouldn't….." Samantha stopped as she realized John was smiling mockingly at her as she continued. She cleared her throat and went back on with what she was saying. "It's still going strong too. Most every species has written something about it, whole fashion lines have come out, they're even making a second Fleet and Flotilla about it." She paused for a moment. "Looks cheesy as hell. But my point stands Commander. You're an interesting person. Interesting people make ratings go up. Higher ratings means more war support. So, do we have an arrangement or should I keep looking?"

"Yes, for now. We'll do a trial run, see how it works. Report to the Normandy as soon as possible. Any questions?" John told her.

"How much gear am I allowed?" She wondered.

"One foot locker." He told her. She nodded and snapped to attention, saluting John.

"Aye, Aye Commander. I look forward to seeing what trouble you can find us. You can call me Sam, and this is Sparks." She thumbed towards her little Camera drone that perked as if being called then zoomed over to the Commander. It gave a blur noises that sounded a lot like a geth talking before it zoomed back over to Samantha. "He says hi, by the way. Don't tell on me but Sparks has an AI implanted in him. It keeps me from worrying about him during battles. He gathers the shots, I edit and shoot people. It's a simple relationship."

"Your secret is safe with me." He promised. He was hardly one to lecture someone about having an AI work with you. She nodded and walked away, no doubt going to find her foot locker worth of stuff. This was going to be a long war to fight.

* * *

**Samantha is my solution to the god awful character of Diana Allers. To me, a war correspondent makes more sense to be on the Normandy rather than just a regular reporter. Hopefully, y'all like her better than Diana. Also, the media firestorm is an allusion to Rogen80's story "Media Firestorm" (which is a great story by the way, you should read it. Also, Rogen80 holds all rights to his fanfiction). Also, I realized that I haven't done this, so to avoid an lawsuit. I do not own anything in the mass effect universe except for my own personal OCs and changes. Not much more to say beyond this so, see you next update.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Heyo, sorry the update is late guys. My internet crapped out yesterday and it took like thirty minutes for me just to pull up Google. But never worry, it is back to normal. So, Read, Enjoy, Review.**

The Turian first fleet faced the six Reapers, fighters charging forward like the pawns on a chess board charging an army of queens. There was a moment of silence, the calm before the storm. Then every Turian ship fired at once, sending their strongest weapons at the Reapers as the battle commenced. Occuli ships on the side of the Reapers surged forward as these bullets slammed harmlessly against the Reaper's kinetic barriers and armor. Lasers flew out at the Turian ships, taking down entire cruisers with a precision shot to the ship. Johanna watched the battle with growing anxiety, knitting her hands together and breathing into them as she stared at the fires that covered Palaven. Was he down there right now? He was a strong fighter, but what if he was already among the KIA? What if the Reapers had turned them into one of their infernal monsters, and he was killing people he had once sworn to protect. "Oh no, Palaven." Liara commented, looking at Johanna with sympathy. Of course with her Shadown Broker resources, she would know who he would have chosen to spend the night with. James looked at John for help.

"We have an old friend there." John answered, watching the burning planet as well.

"Holy hell. They're getting decimated." Vega commented, looking at the images of the First Fleet being wiped out. Sparks' light was on as it recorded, Samantha silent as she watched with the rest of the squad.

"Strongest military in the galaxy and the Reapers are obliterating it." She finally commented, tapping her omni-tool. The light from Sparks died but it continued to roll, taking footage of all the battle that the shuttle's camera would allow.

"Was it like this on Earth?" Liara ventured. Her voice was unsure, casting a weary at Samantha. But she wasn't focusing on their conversation, merely engrossed her own thoughts. The reporter was making them all nervous to speak, but they were trying their best to pretend she wasn't there. Everything in their conversation was no doubt being recorded.

"Yes." John answered, with a heavy sigh. The images of the boy still danced around in his mind. He was so damn close to getting out of their alive but the Reapers still killed him.

"Shepard, I'm so sorry." Liara apologized, looking towards both Shepards, with the word meaning something different for both. John just nodded solemnly while his sister ignored Liara. Thankfully, Cortez managed to keep him from getting too emotional.

"Commander, the LZ is getting swarmed!" He warned. John nodded and stood up on the shuttle, getting his weapon out. Everyone in the shuttle followed his example, opening their weapons and programming the ammo mods they were going to use.

"James, open that hatch." He told Vega, aiming his weapon forward. James nodded and stepped to the side, hitting the open button as he went. The moment the window was open, they raining fire down upon the swarming husks, working with the Turian defenders to tear apart the swarming force. The husks, already among the weakest of the reaper forces, fell easily beneath the fire, no armor or shields to soften the blows they received. John solemnly wondered how many humans had already been turned into those monsters that they could use them to assault the other species? How many people would be able to live through this damn war?

The shuttle landed once it was confirmed that the husks were gone, allowing the five people to get off. They were Manae, Palaven's largest moon, and last standing outpost against the Reapers. "If you're looking for command, it's around the corner, past the first barricade." A rather relieved Turian soldier told them from his post. His squadmate lay dead nearby, three husks on the body with bullets in their back. If John hadn't shown up, it was likely he would have joined his friend. They nodded and continued onwards.

They arrived in the Turian camp and found the Commander easily, with only a slight delay from Samantha as she paused to lets Sparks take a shot of row upon row of dead Turian marines. She was silent as she did it, giving them one final salute before she continued. John remembered thinking that she was unlike any reporter that he had met. Most seemed eager just to get at their next story and tear at the person like vultures but she seemed to have a firm respect for the military at the very least.

"Tobestik, get your men up on that north barricade." The Commander of the command was shouting orders when he arrived. One of the two soldiers that was standing near him nodded and ran off, calling to a squad of nearby Turians. "Sergeant Bartus, find a way to get that comm tower operational." He ordered to the final Turian. The Turian nodded and sprinted off as well, closely followed by five other Turians.

"General?" John greeted as he approached the Turian commander. The General paused for a moment, casting a look at John like he was doubtful that the man was really in front of him at the moment. It was clear from his face that the man hadn't had much sleep for the past few days, surviving on pure adrenaline most likely.

"Commander Shepard. Heard you were coming but I didn't believe it. General Corinthus." The Turian greeted them, not turning away from his holographic display of the battlefield. Sparks flew behind Corinthus, peeking over his shoulders as he looked at the display.

"I've come to get Primarch Fedorian." John told him. Corinthis stopped typing the moment John finished, looking at the holographic display of the battlefield for a moment before taking a deep breath and getting back to typing.

"Primarch Fedorian is dead. His shuttle was shot down an hour ago when it tried to leave the moon." Corinthus told him, shaking his head as he did so. John cursed underneath his breath at this revelation.

"That complicates things." John said, scratching the back of his head. "I'm Sorry. I heard he was a good man."

"And a good friend. He would have been an outstanding diplomat." Corinthus added with a sad shake of his head.

John let out an exasperated sigh as he leaned onto the battlefield display. "So what happens now?"

"The Turian hierarchy provides very clear lines of succession." Liara informed, walking up to them. Corinthus shook his head at this.

"With such heavy casualities, it's hard for me to be certain who the next Primarch is. Palaven Command might know." Corinthus opened his omni-tool and brought up the communication channel with the Palaven Command. It was mostly static with the exception of a few jumbled words. "However, at the moment, contacting them is impossible. The Reapers took out our comms tower. Husks are swarming that area—we can't get close enough to repair it. I sent a group of men to deal with it but…" He didn't continue. He hadn't sent a very large group of men to deal with it and he knew that it was unlikely they would get to the comm tower.

"Well, I'm not leaving this moon without the Primarch. I'll go make sure that comm tower gets fixed." John promised, pulling his Avenger off of his back. Corinthus looked relieved, nodding his thanks.

"Thank you, Commander. I'll take care of things on my end." Cornithus told him. John nodded and turned towards the rest of his team.

"Let's hop to it people." He told them. They took out their weapons and followed his suit, rushing to the tower as fast as they could. When they arrived, they found that Sergeant Bartus, the turian that had been sent to the tower beforehand, had lost most of his men, with only one being uninjured and two with severe injuries. When they arrived, he was desperately fighting off a swarm of husks, cutting them down left and right but not nearly fast enough. If they had not arrived the moment they did, it was very likely that he would have fallen as well.

"The husks at the tower overwhelmed my men." He apologized, upon seeing his rescuers.

"It's alright Sergeant, save your men. We'll take care of it." John promised, stopping just long enough to promise him that. The turian offered him good luck before grabbing the uninjured man that his other soldier hadn't lifted. Despite their numbers being about equal, John's force ripped the husks apart, more than half of them having N7 training. John watched Samantha fight the best he could without losing his own wits. Her strategy was easy to understand. She activated her tech armor first thing out of the gate, using her shotgun and her Avenger rifle to keep the husks at bay while she waded into their depths. She threw warps when she could, taking down any assortment of armor that the husks might have been wearing before pumping a searing hot blast from her shotgun into the husk's chest. It was effective, but against things other than the husks it would prove to be deadly. John wondered what her strategy would be if they were to find themselves at odds with cannibals.

It wasn't long before the area around the Comm tower was cleared enough to allow them to get to fixing it. "Johanna, get that Comm tower up and running." John ordered.

"Just keep the husks off my ass, and I'll have it up and running in a few minutes." She told them, quickly scaling the ladder. John nodded and ordered his group into a defensive position around the tower. Not one husk would get up there.

* * *

When they got back, Corinthus was already in a deep message battle with the Palavan command, tapping away at his battle map and the messages quickly, like there was no tomorrow. Relief was in his eyes, clearly glad that the comm tower was back up. "What have you got?" John asked, getting closer. Corinthus sighed and pushed off the battle map, looking at John.

"As your partner said, succession is usually simple. But right now, the hierarchy's in chaos…..so many dead or MIA." Corinthus told him with a shake of the head.

"Look, we need someone—we don't care who, as long as they can get us the Turian resources we need." Johanna spoke up as she placed her sniper on her back. Corinthus paused as he looked over at the other entrance to the post as a Turian began to walk up it.

"Don't worry, Shepard. I'll help you find the next Primarch." The turian promised, his face still masked from view as he stepped up into the post. However, John and Johanna already knew who this man was.

"Garrus!" Johanna exclaimed with happiness, loud enough that she canceled out her brother's excited claim. Corinthus turned and saluted Garrus as he came onto the command outpost, causing the two Shepards to raise an eyebrow.

"Vakarian, sir—I didn't see you arrive….." Corinthus began to excuse himself as he saluted.

"At ease General." Garrus told him, regarding him slightly as he talked. Johanna stepped past John and approached Garrus with a playful grin.

"You're alive." She greeted, crossing her arms and looking at him. Both Garrus and John knew that it was her attempt to hide her girly emotions from emerging. They reached out as if to shake hands, but Garrus grabbed Johanna's hand and pulled it close with comfort.

"I'm hard to kill—you should know that." He told her with a playful tone.

"Good to see you again." She paused as she looked towards the burning planet that took up the majority of Manae's sky. "We'd thought you'd be on Palaven." She let the relief slip into her voice as she talked, showing that she wasn't as stoic as she was playing off she was.

"If we lose this moon, we lose Palaven. I'm the closest damn thing we have to an expert on Reaper forces, so….I'm advising." He explained. He looked over at John as Samantha and James walked up next to him, both waiting patiently for an introduction.

"James, Sam, this is Garrus Vakarian. He helped me stop the Collectors and Saren. He's a hell of a soldier." John introduce his two newest squadmates to Garrus. As he talked, they both took their turn to shake Garrus's hand, Sparks flying around him and gathering shots.

"Lieutenant. Sergeant. Good to see you too, Liara." Garrus offered his greetings. Liara greeted him similarly, nodding her head and exchanging another glad to see you're alive.

"General Corinthus filled me in. We know who we're after." Garrus informed, looking towards John now.

"Palaven Command tells me that the next Primarch is General Adrien Victus." The Turian general spoke, breaking the silence he had been in since Garrus had arrived.

"Victus? His name has crossed my desk a few times." Liara commented.

"I was fighting alongside him this morning." Garrus spoke up as well. "Lifelong military. Gets results, popular with his troops. Not so popular with military command—has a reputation with playing fast and loose with the rules."

"You think that he can get the job done?" John wondered.

"We both know that convential strategy won't beat the Reapers. Right now, he could be our best shot. And I trust him." Garrus told him, nodding his head.

"Okay, let's get him on the shuttle and get out of here." John nodded. Garrus took the sniper off of his back and put it out in front of him with a nod. No sooner had he said that did he hear Joker scream into his radio.

"Commander! Shepard, come in!"

"Can this wait, Joker? We're in the middle of the war zone." John wondered, stepping off of the Command outpost.

"We've got a situation with the Normandy, Commander. It's like she's possessed—shutting down systems, powering up weapons. I can't find the source." He warned the Commander. John clenched his fist and growled to himself.

"I need the Normandy standing by, we may have to bug out. Liara, can you got back and take a look?" He ordered, looking at the Asari before him. She nodded and sped off towards the landing zone where Cortez was waiting for them. If things were really going the way they seemed like today, then the pilot might have to move anyways to get them from a different location. "Garrus, you said you were with Victus this morning?"

"Yeah, but we got separated. He went to bolster a flank that was breaking. Could be anywhere out there." Garrus told him. Corinthus spoke up, mentioned that he was doing what he could to raise the General. No sooner had he said that did a massive winged Reaper pop up near the edge of the Command post, flying over them with bullets and the occasional rocket bouncing harmlessly off of its armor.

"It dropped something off at the airfield." Samantha warned, using her omni-tool to call back Sparks as he attempted to chase down the fleeing Harvester.

"General Corinthus! Tell Victus we'll rendezvous here!" John told the Turian General. He turned to the four squadmates that was still with him. "In the meantime, let's go take care of whatever the hell that thing dropped off." He paused for a moment, smiling and looking at his Turian best friend. "Coming Garrus?" Garrus just laughed and reloaded a shot into his sniper rifle.

"Are you kidding!? I'm right behind you." He announced.

* * *

The last Brute fell as Samantha put six rounds from her shotgun into an exposed part of its chest, blood splattering her and Sparks. Sparks whirred angrily and began to fly erractically as if it was disgusted by the blood. "Oh calm down you big crybaby! I'll clean it off!" She cried at it as he narrowly avoided crashing. She walked away, catching the camera drone with one hand and finding a clean piece of cloth to wipe him down with. While she did that, the command post opened nearby, releasing the Turian that they had been looking for. When the communications couldn't reach him, John had decided to forget waiting and charge forward, saving the man himself.

"Commander Shepard of the Normandy. I know who you are. I can't wait to hear why they have you out here." Victus greeted John. He turned, noticing Garrus standing next to Johanna with an amused expression. "Vakarian, where did you go?"

"Heavy Reaper unit on the right flank. I believe your exact words were, "Get that thing the hell off my men"." Garrus reminded.

"Appreciate it." He thanked before turning back towards John.

"General, you're needed off planet. I've come to get you." John told him.

"It'll take something beyond important to make me leave behind my men or my turian brothers and sisters alone in their fight.

"Fedorian was killed. You're the new Primarch." Garrus told him. John nodded, glad that Garrus had done so. He knew it was going to be hard enough getting any turian off planet, and he wasn't sure that he could convince the Turian in front of him that he was actually the Primarch without a higher ranking Turian telling him so. And from what he gathered, Garrus was now that Turian.

"You're needed immediately to chair a summit and represent your people in the fight against the Reapers." John told him. Victus didn't say anything, walking past them and looking at Palaven as it burned in the moon's sky. John didn't pressure him, letting him process everything he had just been told.

"I'm Primarch of Palaven? Negotiating for the Turian Hierarchy?" He said aloud, no doubt trying to convince himself that this was really happening. He turned towards John with a look of loss and confusion. "I've spent my whole life in the military. I'm no diplomat. I hate diplomats."

"Neither am I, General. But war is our resume. Right now, at a time like this, the galaxy needs leaders who have been through that hell. Not diplomats who spent their time in a cushy office their whole life." John told him.

"I like that. You're right." Victus agreed.

"And if you want my honest opinion, uniting these races may take more strength than facing the Reapers." John told him. He walked towards the edge the camp and pointed towards the devastation of Palaven. "See this devastation, double that for Earth. I need an alliance. I need the Turian fleet." Victus walked over to where John was standing, looking at him with sympathy.

"Give me a minute to say good-bye to my men." Victus told him and walked towards where his men were massing to watch the exchange. Garrus watched him go, leaning towards Johanna as the general began to say good-bye.

"Without him down here, there's a good chance that we lose this moon." Garrus mentioned.

"Yeah, but without him up there, there's a good chance that we lose everything." Johanna reminded. Garrus nodded and looked towards a nearby Reaper as its laser cut a swath in whatever it was fighting.

"Look at that. And they want my opinion on how to stop it?" Garrus muttered to himself. She nodded in agreement, knowing the feeling. Preparing for the Reapers was one thing, but actuallyfacing them seemed to be another thing altogether. "Failed C-Sec officer, vigilante….and I'm their expert advisor?" She rested a hand on his shoulder as he talked, trying to comfort him the best that she could. He turned towards John, as he waited patiently for the General to finish his good-byes before he called the shuttle to pick them up. "Think we can win this thing?"

"Yeah….I don't know Garrus." She said with a sigh, as they turned to face each other. "But we're sure as hell going to give it our best shot."

"I'm damn sure that no one else can do it. For what its worth, I'm with John and you." He told her. She smiled and shook his hand.  
"Welcome aboard Garrus."

* * *

**It just wouldn't feel right if I didn't include Garrus in here. So, this chapter is basically a recap of the Palaven mission and what not. And no worries, worried reviewers, Samantha will not be forgotten, she will appear quite frequently. Also, I won't confuse her with Traynor because I only refer to Traynor by her last name while Samantha will be referred to by her first name. So, no confusion there. Um, that's about it, so I bid thee ado.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello and happy Father's day to all the father's who read my work. Uh, sorry for the really late update. Celebrations with father-o and whatnot. Here's the fifth chapter, starting with Garrus and Johanna reunion. Read, Enjoy, Review.**

"Garrus, didn't waste any time doubting my work I see." Johanna greeted jokingly as she entered the forward battery, her hair still damp from where she had washed out the Reaper blood. She had already expected to come back into her room and see Garrus was already hunched down near the main gun, calibrating the weapons even further than they had been before. The Alliance retrofitters had reduced the calibrations that they had made earlier back to Alliance standards, meaning that they had a lot of work to do before it was as powerful as it had been before. Apparently, it's main gun had the same power of a dreadnaught class ship and since having that much power would make it a dreadnaught, a decision had been made.

"After what I've been through lately, calibrating a giant gun is a vacation. Gives me something to focus on." Garrus told her, stopping mid-calibration to stand up and look at her. He almost looked hesitant as he talked.

"We might need you for more than your aim." Johanna told him.

"Oh, I'm ready for it. But I'm pretty sure we'll still need giant guns—and lots of them." Garrus reminded. They both paused for a moment as they remembered the Collectors, who now seemed like an easy assignment compared to what they were facing now.

"Oh, I don't doubt that." There was a moment of silence as they both stared awkwardly at each, waiting for the other one to make a move. When both failed to present, Garrus finally decided that it was time for him to take the initiative.

"Yeah, so…..is this the part where we…. shake hands? Wasn't sure what the protocol on reunions was, or if you even still felt the same way about me." He paused for a moment before scratched the scarred side of his face. "The scars are starting to fade. I remember how they drove you wild." Johanna laughed at his attempt to make this less awkward, glad that he had something to say. God knows she couldn't think of anything. Garrus stepped forward, getting closer to her as he said: "But I can get all new ones, if it'll help."

"Don't worry Garrus, I haven't found myself a new Turian boytoy. You're the only one for me." She told him with a smile.

"Well, I've been doing some more research on human customs. I didn't want to….presume anything." He tried to explain. Johanna leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek as he talked, easing his mind.

"That's the protocol on reunions." She told him.

"The vids mentioned that it might go something like that. I had hoped it would. I mean, I didn't know—" Garrus began to stutter near the last part. Johanna grabbed his hand and lifted it, holding nicely between hers.

"I can't promise how things will work out—not with this war—But I missed you Garrus. I thought about you a lot." She promised. She had, too. Every time she was stonewalled for another day or left alone for hours while the defense Committee bickered amongst themselves, she thought about the time they had managed to spend together before she had to go back to Earth. He had shown his homeworld Palaven, though only the most tourist heavy spots so it was catered to be pretty and they even visited Mindoir, though Johanna wasn't sure what to do once they had arrived. They provided with the calming patience that had kept her from shooting the entire committee out of frustration.

"Glad to know my romantic, uh….skills have made an impression." Garrus joked lightly as he tightened his grip on her hands. "Because its going to take more than the Reapers to come between this cross-species liaison." She laughed and stepped back. Before she could inquire about his expert advisor position, the lights suddenly flickered and the console that held EDI's avatar suddenly died. "That wasn't a good a noise."

* * *

"Commander, I take you came down here to bask in my charming personality." Samantha greeted as John stepped into the port side cargo hold. It looked different from when Zaeed had taken residence in here, cleaner and with less war trophies lying about. A white screen had been placed up, for when Samantha was filming with lighting and sound systems placed throughout. Other than that, the room was very orderly. A single laptop sat on a table that Zaeed had once used as a weapons rack, with papers and datapads stacked neatly beside it. It seemed very orderly compared to things that he would see from any other reporter. Samantha herself sat on a nearby cargo crate with Sparks in her lap and a screwdriver in one hand.

"Just like to know my crew." John told her, leaning against the wall.

"Ha. And here I was beginning to think I was the one that was supposed to be giving the interviews around her. No problem Commander, ask anything you want. I'm an open book." Sam acknowledges as she began to unscrew Sparks bottom hatch. The Camera drone began to wire in discomfort. "Oh quiet you. This is what happens when you standing next to an exploding enemy. You think you would learn the first two times."

"What are you doing to your drone?" John asked. She sighed as she set the screwdriver down and picked up a nearby rag.

"Sparks got some of that reaper gunk in his wiring. Not on any of the critical systems but I don't want to risk him shorting out on my any time soon." She told John. She began to carefully swab the inside of the drone. It whirred silently for a moment before remaining quiet. "Don't worry about him, he's a crybaby. I've done this a lot of times before without incident. But I doubt that's what you wanted to know."

"You said that you were part of a Council black op unit." John mentioned. She looked up with a smile and nostalgia in her eyes. Considering the previous occupant of the room, it only made sense.

"Ah, yes, my glory days." She shook her head before returning to swabbing the inside of Sparks. "It was a joint Council black op. Created for something about making relations better or some shit like that. Two Salarians, Two Turians, Two Asari and Two humans. I had the most training in the eyes of the council, so I was put in charge of it. We were sent in to deal with enemies that were an immediate threat to the Council."

"Isn't that what the Spectres were for?" John wondered with a smile.

"Don't worry Commander, you won't get replaced any time soon." She promised, as she set the rag down and picked up the bottom of the drone. "The Spectres are great for single man ops and sometimes more advanced stealth ops, but you would rarely see more than two spectres work together for an extended period of time. We were sent in when numbers was an issue. We dealt with the most prominent threats that had the best training. That and we were still constricted by the rules of Council space. Anything we did that was against the law, could be held against us." Samantha sighed as she gave a thousand yard stare, filled with Nostalgia. "I remember once, we had to take down this Batarian terrorist that was planning on releasing a nerve toxin in the Salarian embassy. Tested it out on a Salarian colony first and we managed to catch him during that act, him and his whole crew. Took them down without a second thought, but one of the Turians, a man by the name of Krix, got a full dose of the stuff. Barely saved him in time, he was hallucinating like crazy. Apparently, it is more toxic to dextros than Salarians."

"I notice you're very open talking about your black op work. Can't you get in trouble for that?" John wondered. Samantha shrugged and began to piece sparks back together.

"Yeah, but I figured with the Reapers killing everything that's fleshy, they aren't going to care whether or not I tell someone about their secret. I doubt someone's going to care if a Batarian tried to kill the Asari councilor if they are all but wiped out from the Reapers. Why keep secrets at the end of the galaxy?" Samantha explained as she finished, Sparks flew off their lap and zoomed off behind the white curtain, as if hiding from Samantha. "Baby." She muttered. "That, and I'm sure someone has already lost my confidentiality agreement in the piles of paper work their bound to be dealing with."

"I wish everyone had your attitude." John told her with a laugh. "People still think petty secrets are worth keeping now." Samantha nodded in agreement.

"While you're here Commander, mind indulging me with some of your sage like advice. I hear you like to do it." She asked, standing up from where she was. John nodded with agreement and she pulled up her omni-tool. Two separate vid feeds popped up, one showing the worst of the Reaper war but the other showing the lighter side to the Manae conflict. "My producers want the harder stuff, the stuff that makes people stomachs turn and the stuff that makes weak stomached people leave the room." She told him, pulling up the first one up. It showed the fighter plane crashing, the dead bodies that went on for rows upon row, and the Reaper that had been visible the whole time that were on Menae cutting swaths through the Turian offensive. Images that inspired fear and desperation.  
"I take it that you have a different opinon." John guessed. Samantha nodded and pulled up the second one. This one showed Victus saying good-bye to his men as they reassured him and told him they would be fine, it showed Sergeant Bartus fighting an enemy force that outnumbered him in defense of his men, and it showed John fighting off the Reaper forces on the air field, winning despite their overwhelming numbers.

"A good majority of our viewers are soldiers or the family of soldiers. We don't want to show them the worst of the war." Samantha stopped for a moment. "To put it to a metaphor, Shepard, we brought a damn knife to the spaceship fight. But our viewers don't want to know that. They need to see the optimistic side of this war, that while the going is tough, we're standing strong against the big bad bully of the galaxy. I figured you were put in charge of trying to end this war that I should ask you for your input."

"Both stories are sure to get the support we need, why worry about which one to publish?" John asked, knowing both would ultimately have the same effect. "Didn't you tell me when we met they needed a kick in the ass?" Samantha shook her head in disappointment, as if she thought John was missing the big picture.

"My old man had a saying once. 'I'll take ten hopeful men with a knife over a hundred desperate men with guns anyday.' If people join out of sheer desperation, our force will be large, yeah. But what do they have to believe in if they think the war is going so badly? It's like saying 'Here's your gun, go die already.' What's there to fight for other than pure survival beyond that point?" John nodded, showing her understood her point. Truth was, he already considered this, only asking to see if Samantha was thinking along the same lines as he was.

"Run the version you think is best. People need to know that this war isn't hopeless, that it can be won." John told her. Samantha smiled and nodded with respect.

"Thanks Commander. I'll send it in and say you vetoed the other. Less paper work that way. Also, I will probably keep my job too. So, you know, bonus. Thanks for your time Commander."

* * *

**So, there you have. Kept the Garrus Reunion the same because I like it. Uh, also added a talk with Samantha to give you more into her history. I skipped the EDI introduction because to be honest with you, despite like her as a character, I didn't like her much as a squadmate. Also, expect another OC later on, mainly because I felt bad. I had already designed the character but the story closed due to a lost flashdrive, so I wormed them into here. Other than that, happy trails all.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Heyo, back with another update. Uh to address some complaints about the recapping of missions, I believe it to be necessary. Since ME3 is about the grit of war and my story is trying to show the stress on John, then its necessary to show the hopelessness of war that Shepard is presented with throughout the game. So, the recaps of the missions will continue for a bit. Tuchanka, Rannoch, Cerberus Attack on the citadel, and The final battle will be recapped. Other than that, you can expect to see missions skipped or my own interpretation of them. Also, I think Tali was well placed, considering that she comes back after you lose Thane and Mordin, so it was like a morale booster for my Shep. But, I may place in a chapter from her point of view with the Quarians so she is not introduced so late into the fanfiction. Read, Enjoy, Review. **

"Commander, the Salarian Dalatrass and the Krogan chief are ready to come aboard." Traynor told John as they entered the space between the Salarian and Krogan ships. They were far apart and at weapons range from one another, obviously ready to blast the other ships out of the sky at a moment's notice. John shook his head. End of the damn galaxy and the two species were ready to rip each other's throats out still.

"Have them brought to conference room. I have to change into something more appropriate." John told her, looking down at his leather jacket and jean pants. He sighed as he walked away: "Let's hope this doesn't start another war." He muttered to himself as he got in the elevator. He dressed formally as fast as he could, not wanting to leave the Krogan and the Salarians alone long enough to start trying to kill each other. Then he hurried to the conference room, pushing pass the security checkpoint quickly. The two guards didn't say anything, both of them sympathetically looking at them. He was about to enter a conference room with a Krogan and two of the species most hated enemies.

"The Krogan is in no position to make demands!" The voice of the Salarian Dalatrass greeted him as he entered the room. John could recognize the red armor that the Krogan chief wore almost immediately, knowing who had come along. He was glad that it was Wrex and not a different Krogan. He was the most level headed Krogan John knew, so when he growled and glared at the Dalatrass, John knew that this was not going to go well.

"The 'krogan' has a name. Urdnot Wrex. And I'm not just some junkyard Varren you unleash when you're in trouble." John stopped for a moment as he consider welcoming Wrex before decided against it. He didn't the Dalatrass accusing him of favoring the Krogan because he liked the leader. Wrex did the same, nodding towards Shepard in greeting but that was about the extent of their greetings. "I've got my own problems. Reaper scouts were spotted on Tuchanka. So why should I care if a few Turians go extinct?"

"Trying to draw out negotiations will get you nowhere, Wrex. I have no time for it. Just tell us what you want." Victus replied to Wrex's threat. John smiled and realized he already liked Victus more and more by the day. Didn't like to play the politics of dancing around in a circle, but would rather charge forward and wack the problem on the head.

"I'll tell you what I need." Wrex answered, leaning against the table. He looked at all the diplomats for a moment, his eyes looking at the Turian and Shepard longer than the Dalatrass. He knew what he was about to ask would get a denial from her. "A cure for the genophage." He glared at the Dalatrass before she even reacted, knowing she would say no.

"Absolutely not! The genophage is non-negotiable!" She denied, waving her hands and stepping away from the table to add emphasis to her point.

"I take you have a good reason why the Krogan don't deserve a cure." John questioned, looking at the Dalatrass. He should have expected this issue to come up in hindsight. The Krogan wouldn't be able to reproduce their numbers if they got into such a heavy war with the genophage affecting them. And with the Krogan finally having leverage in a political negotiation with the two races that were responsible for it, it was only natural that it became an issue.

"My people uplifted them. We know them best." The Dalatrass excused her behavior.

"You mean you used us! To fight a war you couldn't win!" Wrex responded to this. "It wasn't the salarians, or the asari, or even the Turians that stopped the Rachni! It was Krogan blood that turned the tide of the war."

"And after that, you ceased to be useful!" The Dalatrass retorted. "The genophage was the only way to keep your…. 'urges' in check." John could feel the deep hate that was now radiating off of Wrex. He didn't have two Krogan on his ground team only to not know when one of them was about to kill the thing that was pissing him off.

"Dalatrass, you may not like him, but Wrex is right. Insulting him won't change that." Victus told her, sensing the Krogan's hate as well. John was thankful for the Turian's intervention. It was really hard trying to remain the neutral party at the moment. He wasn't around for the Rebellions but he knew that sterilizing the entire race was no way to react to any crime. It was worse than just outright committing genocide, because this way, the Krogan had to watch their race die slowly.

"I won't apologize for speaking the truth!" She replied angrily. John couldn't help but compare her to a crabby old woman. "We uplifted the Krogan to do one thing, wage war. It's all they know because its all we want them to know."

"Your people should have though that matter through then." John told her. Screw being neutral. "Was it really a surprise that the Krogan revolted?"

"That's precisely my point Commander. It was a rash decision. We turned to the Krogan in desperation. It's the same mistake that you're about to make today." She told him, crossing her arms. "No good can come from curing the genophage."

"The Krogan have paid for their mistakes. The genophage has gone on long enough." John bite back.

"One thousands, four hundred and seventy-six years, if you're keeping track." Wrex mentioned from where he was. Victus seemed neutral overall in this debate. He hadn't agreed with either side for personal reasons as far as John could tell but John knew that he needed the Krogan to win this war and that meant appeasing them.

"It was a thousand years of peace, free from these brutes!" Dalatrass barked at Wrex. For an old Salarian woman, the dalatrass didn't really seemed to mind she was shouting down an angry Krogan warlord.

"Enough! Whether they deserve or not is academic. It would take years to formulate one." Victus explained, quelling the argument before it got out of hand. He shot John an exasperated look. It seemed like both were there mostly to keep the Dalatrass and Wrex from killing each other. Wrex laughed at Victus and opened his omni-tool.

"My information says otherwise." He mentioned, causing the room to go eerily silent. Wrex walked around to the front of the table, syncing his omni-tool with the conference rooms screen. "A Salarian scientist named Maelon grew a conscience. He was on my planet testing a cure on our females."

"I remember. His methods were barbaric." John commented, shaking his head as he thought back to clearing the hospital with Mordin. Wrex nodded and turned to face the screen as the video began to play. At the moment, all it seemed to show was a group of Salarian scientists tapping away at their computers or bantering playfully amongst themselves.

"But what you didn't know is that some of the females survived his experiments." The video feed showed as the scientist that had been at the computer stand up and walk away while tapping something on his omni-tool. Whoever had been recording the message seized the chance and dove forward, showing a full view of three female krogan, in barrier cages and surrounded by Salarians, but otherwise alive. "So the Dalatrass sent them here to clean up the whole mess….and take them prisoner." Wrex told them as the video played.

"Where did you get this!?" The Dalatrass immediately demanded to know. She turned towards John, who had walked around the table as the video had played. "It could be a fabrication!" John shook his head with disappointment. This was getting more and more complicated by the second.

"Don't insult me! They're immune to the genophage and you're going to give them back!" Wrex demanded. Even Victus seemed to have finally taken a side, glaring at the Dalatrass as he stood next to Wrex.

"Dalatrass, is this true?" He asked, more polite than Wrex had been.

"How will curing the genophage benefit my people?" She demanded to know.

"How long do you think you will last alone against the Reapers? Because if you don't help, that's how it'll end up." John snapped at her.

"I'll be the last friendly turian that you ever see." Victus agreed.

"What's it going to be?" John demanded to know. The Dalatrass sighed and shook her head, bringing her hand up to her face as she rubbed it with annoyance.

"The females are being kept on one of our STG bases on Sur'Kesh." She admitted. John nodded and the three males of the diplomatic group began to leave. "But I warn you commander, the consequences of this will be ….." The Dalatrass spoke after them. John stopped, turning around and storming over to the table.

"Nothing compared to what happens if the Reapers win." John reminded. They weren't here because of old grudges, they were here to stop the extinction of every advanced organic lifeform in the galaxy.

"Come on, let's go get the females." Wrex told him, trying to draw him away from the fight. If John wasn't so angry at the moment, he might have laughed at the irony of a Krogan pulling him away from a fight.

"You're not setting foot on Sur'Kesh. This will take time to—" The Dalatrass tried to ward off but Victus once again took a side.

"It happens now! As a council Spectre, Shepard can oversee the exchange." Victus told her.

"We're going!" John told her, crossing his arms and daring her to stop him. She glared at him for a moment before saying:

"I won't forget this commander! A bully has few friends when he needs them most!" She growled at him. John scoffed and looked at Wrex and Victus, both who had taken his side in the argument and were now standing beside him while the Dalatrass yelled at him by herself.

"I don't think I'm the one without friends right now." He told her, before he turned around and walked away. Wrex laughed at the Dalatrass before following along, stomping after John. John was about to say something to him when he noticed a certain little Camera drone fleeing the conference room and into the CIC, having clearly spied on their meeting. He shook his head and reminded himself to speak to Samantha later, when he wasn't trying to prevent another cross-species war.

"So, Shepard, looks like we're going into the thick again." Wrex laughed as they walked.

"Let's try not to start a war while we're there Wrex." John laughed with him. He knew that Wrex was smarter than that, but he couldn't help but realize that the Krogan probably would think about it the whole time he was there.

"No promises Shepard." He laughed. He paused and looked at John with sympathetic eyes. "Heard about Earth Shepard. I want to help but I need to help my people first."

"Don't worry about it Wrex." John told him with a sigh. "If I was in your shoes, I would be doing the same thing." Wrex nodded his understanding and laid a hand to rest on his shoulders. With a nod, he turned and lumbered off towards the elevator to get on the shuttle that would take them to Sur'Kesh. John sighed and turned on his omni-tool, messaging all his squadmates about the upcoming mission. With his luck, this would turn into a full blown war, and he would need the help to keep the peace as long as possible.

* * *

"This is the Salarian homeworld were heading to. They're not used to seeing Krogan, so let's keep it simple." John told Wrex as the large Krogan examined his shotgun. He was clearly prepping for a fight with the STG members and John was hoping to nip the thought before it budded. "We'll land, get the females, and leave before anyone changes their mind."

"I still don't trust a word they say." Wrex confided, hitting the last change on his shotgun before lowering it.

"Let diplomacy play out Wrex. You'll get what you want." John promised him.

"These females are the best and probably last hope for my people." Wrex explained to him. John couldn't even imagine what it was like to suffer through something as horrible as the genophage.

"We'll bring them back Wrex, don't worry." Liara assured from where she stood. Wrex turned towards her and nodded his thanks.

"I appreciate that Liara. I wouldn't want anyone else along for the ride." Garrus started to cough from where he was, catching Wrex's attention. Wrex laughed and shrugged his heavy shoulders. "I suppose I can make room for you too Garrus." He laughed again after he said that.

"Figured you'd gone soft sitting on your throne, forgot how to hold a gun." Garrus bantered. Before the banter could escalate, Cortez mentioned the Salarian base was in the sensors. John nodded and gave the order to land, ready to be done with this already. That's why when the sensors on the shuttle started beeping with warnings, John knew this day was about to get much more complicated.

"Commander, Salarian Ground control says we don't have clearance to land." Cortez told him as he tapped off the sensors as fast as he could.

"Tell them that the Dalatrass authorized this herself." John told Cortez, knowing that the order probably hadn't been given yet. However, Wrex did not see it this way.

"I knew they'd never keep their word!" He growled in anger, hitting the button to open the shuttle's doors. "Let's see them try to stop a krogan airdrop." John yelled the Krogan's name to stop him but the Krogan didn't care, leaping free of the shuttle before anyone could stop him. The Salarians responded immediately, their defense force surging forward to restrain him.

"We have an unauthorized…landing." The Salarian communications officer called into the headset.  
"And who authorized you to hold my race hostage!" Wrex demanded to know, right before he used his biotics to throw two salarian across the room. He whipped out his shotgun, aiming it at the other Salarians as they drew their pistols and aimed it at them. However, when two red lasers hit him on his head, Wrex paused momentarily to glare at the snipers that were on the adjacent building.

"Damn it, let's make sure he doesn't get himself killed." John told his team before he leapt out to. He used his biotics to soften the landing, like he had seen Liara and so many other asari do before him. They landed just as a wave of Salarians arrived, holding them at gunpoint. Just when it looked like they might get in a gun battle, behind them, a Salarian voice began to yell:

"Stand down, hold your fire!" Called a Salarian in black armor as he shielded his face from the dust that was being thrown up by the shuttle. "Commander Shepard, restrain your colleague. We only found out about this transfer a few moments ago."

"I would like to avoid a diplomatic incident." John told him, stepping forward.

"As would we." The Salarian agreed. "This matter can be resolved but I must insist he remain under guard." John paused and looked at Wrex, giving him the silent order that the Salarians were insisting on. He growled and shook his head, collapsing his shotgun and putting it away.

"Anything goes wrong and all bets are off." He told John. John nodded his thanks and followed the Salarian commander as he led them away from where three Salarians were detaining Wrex.

"I'm Padok Wiks, and I appreciate your understanding Commander. With war on everyone's minds, our people are on edge." He tried to excuse. He was interrupted by a large yell, which caused everyone to turn their attention to a yahg that was being transported down to the lower levels. Liara let out an uncomfortable sigh.

"I hoped to never see one of those again." She commented to Garrus, who had been there when they had defeated the Shadow Broker. He laughed and scratched the part of his head where the Shadow Broker had hit him with the desk, agreeing with a small nod.

"As you can see, this base contains sensitive information." Padok explained as he noted everyone's lack of sympathy for the yahg being contained.

"Does that include studying lost Krogan?" John questioned.

"The females were in poor health when we found them on Tuchanka. They were brought her to stabilize their condition." Padok once again excused the actions of the Salarian Government. They all paused long enough to watch as Wrex was escorted farther into the landing space, with a Salarian with a gun on his back the entire time. That didn't keep the Krogan from berating them with how their planets smell, or how their livers tasted when raw. John shook his head, unsure whether he should laugh at Wrex or worry.

"I'd like to see them." John told Padok.

"Of course. I'll need to clear you for the lower levels." Padok agreed without much convincing. "Give me a moment to get it through, then meet me near the elevator. And I regret to inform you only two of your squad will be allowed to go down to the lower levels. We cannot risk such a large force going down." Padok nodded and walked away towards the elevator, ready to communicate with them downstairs.

"Liara, Garrus. We'll head down. The rest of you, keep Wrex from starting another war." He ordered. "And Johanna, no egging him on."  
"Well, aren't you just a party pooper." She playfully told him before putting her sniper back on her back and crossing her arms. Samantha didn't seem to enjoy being left behind either, but she didn't voice any of her complaints aloud. Javik and James just nodded their agreement while EDI silently agreed as well, eager to take in the sights of Sur'Kesh more.

* * *

**I really wished I could have said something like that to the Dalatrass while I was walking away. Also, I felt a scene where Wrex sympathizes with Shepard about the loss of earth was well-deserved, just as a tidbit. Other than that, no real explanations for any changes since there wasn't much. Uh, see ya next time. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Heyo, back with update number seven. Um, this was originally a Tali-Centric chapter but I realized I accidently got my Quarian history wrong and since it was a major part of the chapter, its going through some serious remodeling. It'll probably be the next update or the one after that at most. Also, the new OC comes in. But other than that, Read, Enjoy, Review.**

"Shepard! You're alive!" Engineer Kenneth Donelly greeted as they pushed out of the crowd at Purgatory. John had been with Vega just moments ago, showing the soldiers on the frontlines that he was no different than them, though Vega ambushed him with an older saying of the Marines that he almost forgot. He smiled at the two as they approached, glad to see his two friends managed to escape death at the hands of the Reaper. He needed the morale boost anyways. After dealing with Cerberus on Sur'Kesh and watching Adrian Victus sacrifice himself so that the Krogan wouldn't be killed by a massive bomb that had been planted on the Tuchanka, a drink sounded nice.

"I told you! Nothing can take down Shepard!" Gabriella told Kenneth, hitting him in the arm as if reminding him why she shouldn't be doubted. They both wore Alliance regulation casual clothes, brand new from the looks. He smiled along with them.

"The going gets tough and my former engineers hit the bar?" John questioned jokingly. They exchanged guilty glances before turning their attention back to John.

"We heard about the Reapers attacking Earth, and then Cerberus decides to screw you too. We can't believe we worked for them." Kenneth excused them.

"We rejoined the Alliance when your ship was grounded. Got our old posting back on the Perugia." Gabriella explained to him.

"So you're not on the Illusive Man's payroll?" John asked, glad that these two got out of the shady organization but worried about their safety. He had already met Kelly down in the refugee center, advising that Cerberus was not likely to take her AWOL lightly and told her to change her identity when she told him that she couldn't go back on the Normandy.

"Not anymore." Gabriella told him with a curt nod.

"But we slipped away." Kenneth informed, letting John know that their leaving was not something Cerberus had approved. "We were there for the Normandy. For you. Not for them."

"After the Alliance locked you up and impounded the Normandy, Cerberus recalled the whole crew." Gabriella continued, shaking her head as if remembering some bad memory. "And there was something creepy about those recall orders. It didn't feel right."

"She's got good intuition." Kenneth complimented, making Gabriella blush lightly. Kenneth didn't notice of course, but John did. He shook his head lightly, noting that the Scottish had yet to notice how much they were meant for each other. At least, Gabriella seemed to start getting the gist of what all their banter was meant to hide. Even from themselves.

"Cerberus helped us take down their Collectors. They served their purpose." John agreed with him. Even as he said this, he couldn't help but notice how Cerberus had changed over the past six months. The Illusive Man tried to serve his own agenda, but now, he was just a radical tyrant.

"And now its time to pay them back. Right in their daddy bags!" Kenneth said, getting pumped up.

"Let us join you Commander. We'll serve on whatever ship you fly. We want to help." Gabriella requested.

"What about the Perugia? Aren't you guys needed there?" John asked, worried about the men that might be left with a few engineers.

"The Perugia is docked with serious weapon complications. We won't fly for another month. Even then, they have a crew of over a hundred, so they can spare a couple of engineers." Gabriella told him, as if she had already anticipated the Commander's question.

"And no one in their right mind would refuse you either." Kenneth supported.

"Alright, grab your gear. The Normandy's in Docking Bay 26." He told them. They smiled and saluted the Commander before walking away. "One moment, what happened to the rest of the crew from the Normandy?" The question had been biting at him for a month now, when he first discovered what Cerberus was doing to their soldiers on Mars. Gabriella and Kenneth sighed sadly.

"Besides Chakwas, Kelly and Hawthorne, the rest of the crew followed the orders." Gabriella told him. John nodded sadly and dismissed them, realizing that means that worse had happened. He wondered if he had already killed Mess Sergeant Gardener, or Goldstein, when he fought with the Cerberus troops. He was never close to much of the Cerberus crew, but he knew they were good people and didn't deserve that fate. He nodded his head to dismiss his new Engineers for the Normandy, and turned to leave the bar. He needed to check the Spectre office for anything that may have come up.

* * *

When John entered the hospital, he saw the drell he had expected to see completing an exercise with someone who was unknown to him. To what John knew about what they were doing, it looked like kendo exercises with improvised weapons. Some of the hospital staff cast a few worried looks at the two but otherwise remained silent about it. John knew why. Thane was a trained killer, even with his Kepral's syndrome slowing him down, he could easily take down just about anyone. But the woman was matching his steps and seemed to even be winning against his old squadmate. He paused for a moment, watching them exercise as he looked over the woman.

The woman had long black hair, which covered a majority of her face, hiding a good portion of her facial features from John as he watched her. From what he could tell however, she was clearly Asian in ethnicity, most likely Japanese given her expertise in Kendo. She was about the same height as Thane, with a similar lean build. She wore a dark blue Alliance t-shirt and a pair of faded dark blue casual pants. Her eyes were glowing a bright blue, not in the sense that it was a really light blue but they were actually glowing, even in the bright lighting of hospital. John nodded, content with the conclusions he had drawn and approached his friend. He waited until they paused their Kendo match before finally announcing his presence. "Commander Shepard, when I heard that Earth was under attack, I tried to call but I never got through. Lieutenant, this is…"

"Commander Johnathon Shepard. Any soldier in the Alliance is senile if they don't know your name." The Lieutenant greeted John. "Lieuntenant Commander Takara Miyabi Katori." John shook her hand before turning his attention back to Thane.

"Thane, good to see you staying in shape." John told him.

"My disease kills slowly. With enough care and a healthy lifestyle, it can be delayed for a few years. Of course, my allotted time has come and gone. Now I exercise because it pleases me." Thane told him. "I met Katori only a few days ago. She introduced me to this style of exercise shortly after we met. It is….refreshing to learn new techniques despite my waning time."

"I was enrolled in a Kendo school when I was a kid and I was one of the top students. It helps separate me from the average grunt without the help of biotics." She paused for a moment as she remembered that the man before her was also a biotic. "Uh, no offense meant of course."

"What are you doing here Shepard?" Thane asked.

"Visiting a friend who got hurt while we were escaping Earth. Kaiden." John told Thane, sighing sadly as he looked towards the area of the hospital that Kaiden was being held.

"The human biotic in intensive care….I saw the marks of implant." Thane guessed. "Your enemies may attempt to finish him off here. I will help how I can, consider him under my protection."

"I'll help how I can too." Katori promised.

"Thanks Thane. And you too." John told the two before him.

"Don't mention. I'm not due to leave the hospital for another month. The Doctors want to make sure my cybernetics take before I'm allowed to leave and this will give me something to do."

"And I am near the end of my life. It is a good time to be generous." Thane offered his own explanation. "Kepral's Syndrome has put most of my other plans on hold." Thane led John over to a couple of nearby seats, standing up behind the two while offering Katori his own seat. She took it and sat down with a grateful smile.

"I'm back on the Normandy, on an important mission. Sure could use you." John mentioned to Thane, looking at him with hope.

"I would not be as I was before. I need daily medical attention. And if I know you, you will want to fight the Reapers somehow. You need the best at your side, and I am not at mine." Thane politely declined the offer. John laughed at that, shaking his head at this.

"You don't have to wrestle down Krogan and break their necks. I'm sure we could find you lighter work. Maintaining the armory or acting as in ship security. The Normandy is short-staffed as it is."

"I am at peace with what I've done in my life, Shepard. There comes a time when one must rest from war and conflict." Thane told him. "It is not your time, nor is it Katori's, but it is mine."

"Alright Thane, I understand."

"Thank you Shepard. Perhaps maybe we should discuss other events."

* * *

"Samantha, I didn't expect to see you here." John commented as he walked up to the Memorial wall. The reporter just laughed a little and shook her head at this comment, reminding John of the current state of the galaxy. "Uh, bad choice of words I guess."

"No, nothing like that Commander. I just got word in. Remember that Turian I told you about, Krix. I just got word that he was killed when he suicided a Reaper destroyer. Dumb bastard slammed a cruiser into it to save some evac ships. Destroyed the Reaper but killed himself in the process. He's been posthumously awarded the Golden Medallion and Gold pay. From what I was allowed to know with my special clearance, the dead Reaper is helping the war effort immensely. They're going to transform its armor into ship armor for dreadnaughts and they are naming the invention after him." Samantha laughed as she shook her head with fond memories "Always trying to outdo me, even in death."

"I take it you two were fond of each other?" John asked.  
"If you're asking if we ever did the naked tussle, then no. But we were always trying to outdo each other. I would run ten miles, he would run eleven. He would headshot someone from 200 yards away, I would do it from 300 yards away." She told him turning towards him. She raised a sniper's scope, one that had the lens cracked down the middle. "I got this when we made about who could shoot the enemy in a more vital spot from a really far distance. He got a bastard in the chest, dead center on his heart. I got someone between the eyes. It was actually a missed shot since I was aiming for the bastard's heart as well. The Prize was this. It was his favorite scope." With a sigh, she set it down on the memorial wall, next to a picture of a batarian couple. "Rest in peace, you SOB."

"Tell me about your team." John asked, seeing that she needed to let it out. Samantha smiled and shook her head with a smile.

"Bunch of bastards, I'll tell you that." She laughed, turning towards him. "What do you want to know? Ranks? Names? How many kills?"

"Who were they?" John asked first.

"Like I said before, there was two of every council species. Our bomb and tech experts were Salarians from the STG. We called them Don and Capelli, but that wasn't their real name. No one went by their real names. There was also Joan and Ross, Asari commandoes with highly decorated military backgrounds. They were our biotic specialists. Then there was Krix and Driz, the Turian Blackwatch members. And finally, me and Thatch, the N7 Commandoes. The last four of us were the meat, the ground and heavy units."

"I noticed those names are mostly humans'." John noted as he thought back to the names.

"Yeah, they thought it would be ironic or something if they went by human names. Except the Turians. Most of them act like they got a giant pole in the ass. We just shortened their names a bit." Sam explained.

"Tell me what they were like." John requested, wondering how a group of elite soldiers acting while they were together.

"Well, Joan was hard-headed gal, always going around and head-butting people. Says she got it from her dad. But she was loyal to the death, refusing to leave anyone behind. Ross was an asari pureblood with some serious trust issues but once she said she was going to do something, by damn she did it. Krix hated the nicknames like Driz, but he knew how to banter and could give a friendly competition once in a while. Vakarian kind of reminds me of him. Driz was a by the books kind of guy, not breaking the rules unless under the most important circumstances. Then there was Thatch, who was a major perv and couldn't keep his damn mouth shut, but he was good soldier and a powerful biotic. Don and Capelli were like twins, always finishing each other's sentences and otherwise acting slippery when we talked to them." Samantha told him, waving for him to follow her out of the memorial area as she walked.

"Sound like good people. Whatever happened to them?" John wondered. Samantha sighed and shook her head sadly, stopping outside the Batarian refugee area.

"What happens to any good team. Mission went bad." Sam told him. "We were sent in to deal with some Cerberus guys, right after you got locked up. We were going to deal with a base of the bastards where they were supposedly experimenting on alien races, finding better ways to kill them. Went good at first, swept the first few rooms without incident. But then it all went to shit."

"What happened?" John wondered, sadly noting how haunted her look was.

"They strapped a bomb to the chest of a kid, some little Asari girl that they had kidnapped and made her go to us. We didn't know it at the time, we thought she escaped when she heard firing. Ross ran forward and picked her up, trying to save her. The moment she grabbed her….." Samantha paused as tears began to form in her eyes, just long enough to wipe them away as she talked. Her voice was getting shaky as she spoke. "What kind of monsters uses a child as a weapon, regardless of species or gender?" She wondered as an afterthought, looking towards John with heart-broken look.

"Only the worst kind." John agreed. She cleared her throat, shaking her head as she tried to return to a stoic demeanor.

"Anyways, the bomb goes off, killing Ross in an instant. Drix and Don got caught in the explosion as well, but at least there was something to recover of them after that. Taken by surprise, I wasn't even prepared was a Cerberus soldiers leaps out of nowhere and hits me on my knee with something that resembled a german trench club. My patella was snapped in half instantly, a sound so loud that you could hear it. Blasted the bastard's head off as I went down though."

"How'd you get out?" John asked.

"I ordered them to retreat to the shuttle. I told the bastards to leave me behind, but Joan, the ever loyal one, lifts me off the ground like a damn ragdoll and sprints to the shuttle with ease. Cerberus was waiting for us at the shuttle though, ripping apart Capelli the moment that he left the room. Thatch and Joan took them out with their biotics and got on the shuttle before more could show up, but it wasn't fast enough." Samantha took a deep breath and shook her head. John could tell that this reporter was trying hard not to get emotional on him, reminding him of his sister in a way. "Thatch got one center of the back. Didn't kill him right away but we all knew that he was hurt too bad. He would have bled out on the shuttle before we made it to the nearest med-bay. So, without a word, this guy turns around and biotically charges forward, taking out almost an entire squad of Cerberus troops before a sniper got him in the head. By then though, Joan, Krix and I were already in the air and out of range of the rockets. We gave our report to the council, and after what they ruled, they were damn lucky that we didn't shoot them."

"Why is that?" John asked. He had a fair idea, the council having given him so many reasons to hate them that he could understand any equivalent of hate from someone else.

"They said that they couldn't allow the others a hero's death. The official story was that it was a joint training op where a 'electric' fire caused an explosion that killed them. Where's the honor in that? So instead of sticking around for another squad that they were making, we all told them to shove it and went our separate ways. Krix rejoined Blackwatch, Joan went off to be a merc and I became the loving personality of ANN." Samantha told him with a shrug.

"Thanks for telling me that, Samantha. I understand what it feels like to lose people under your command. It's never an easy thing." John sympathized with her.

"Yeah, everyone knows about Virmire. Ashley Williams, the soldiers who brought back the honor of being named Williams. She seemed like a damn fine soldier and I wished I had met her." Samantha told him. "Thanks for listening to me prattle on Commander. I never really talked about this before, and it feels nice to get it off my chest. If you need me though, I'll be in Purgatory, talking with soldiers and whatnot." With that Samantha walked off, leaving John alone by the refugee camps.

* * *

**So, there you have it. I added the cut scene that recruited Gabby and Ken because I liked it better. It also offered an explanation as to why you never see any of the other Cerberus crew out and about. Also, Katori's introduction into the story. It's really hard to see a character abandoned in a story that didn't quite work out and since I liked her character so much, I brought her back. It works out fine too, since I already drew up her entire history and whatnot. Uh, that's about it. See you all next time and hopefully, I'll have a Tali chapter for you.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Heyo! Back with another update. But, a quick word of caution, it is not Tali centric. I'm having trouble rewriting the chapter I had put her in and that's why its delayed for so long. Hopefully, I will have it up soon. Other than that, Read, Enjoy, Review.**

"New form of Reaper Shepard. Using shroud to poison Tuchanka's atmosphere. Problematic." Mordin greeting John as he entered the war room. John couldn't but notice the amount of disgust and anger in Wrex's eyes.

"If they wanted a fight, they just got one." Wrex growled, pushing off the war assets computer. It was blinking, probably letting John know that the Alliance had uncovered some new war asset for the fight against the Reapers.

"Primarch, we're going to need your help." John said turning towards Victus. He didn't see how they could get to the Shroud facility any other way without the Turians and the Krogan working together. As much as neither would want to admit it, they were the best combat in a galactic war. The Turian's tactical expertise combined with the Krogan's pure combat prowess made them the ideal combined fighting force.

"That's going to be difficult. The losses on Palaven have been catastrophic." Victus told him.

"I understand your concern Primarch, but we're doing this for Palaven. No one said this would be easy." John reminded.

"What do you have in mind?" Victus wondered.

"A combined attack. Your people hit the Reaper with an airstrike while Wrex's men will attack from the ground. Together, your forces can draw it away from the tower long enough for the cure to be distributed. Mordin and I will ensure that the Reaper doesn't use it by destroying the facility afterwords." John told them. He knew that simply drawing the Reaper away wouldn't be enough. It could always return to poison them once again and all their work would have been wasted. No, the Shroud facility would have to be destroyed once they used it.

"Yes, distraction. Small team could reach Shroud. Finish synthesizing cure. Will need Eve to come with us." Mordin agreed.

"Is that necessary? Wouldn't it be safer to leave Eve on the ship and synthesize the cure here?" John questioned.

"No, too many variables. Poison could negate current cure. Also need to original strain of genophage to properly rid the Krogan of it. No other options. Would prefer if we kept her safe though." Mordin told him.

"Alright." He agreed. Mordin was always worrying about the variables. "We've never faced a Reaper up close like this. Everyone on board?" John asked turning to the two in front of him.

"Is there even a doubt? We faced Sovereign on foot Shepard. I think I can handle this." Wrex laughed at him. "Let's move Pyjak. It's time to cure the genophage." Wrex quickly jumped to his feet, clearing the room and leaving the room with Victus and Mordin. John was about to follow them when Traynor's voice sounded over the intercom, telling him he had a call from the Dalatrass of all people.

"Dalatrass?" He greeted as the QEC brought up the old Salarian woman before him.

"Commander Shepard, we know you've reached Tuchanka. And by now, I imagine Mordin Solus has proposed using the Shroud." The Dalatrass greeted him.

"Having second thoughts Dalatrass?" John joked, crossing his arms. The woman had refused to speak with him ever since he had chosen to side with the Krogan.

"Hardly. Commander, you can't allow your misguided sympathy for the Krogan to cloud your judgement. Do you honestly believe that curing the genophage will end in lasting peace?" The Dalatrass poked at his doubts.

"I believe in trying. We have to give the Krogan that chance. We can't condemn an entire species for what might happen." John told her.

"What will happen is that the Krogan will reproduce out of control. We uplifted them specifically for their violent nature, not their diplomatic skills. Another war is inevitable." The Salarian countered. John knew that she was going to be as stubborn as he was in this debate and there would be no point in continuing it. "Years ago, our operatives sabotaged the Shroud facility to ensure what you are planning could not happen. Mordin will likely detect this malfunction and repair it. But if he doesn't, then the cure's viability will be altered just enough that it will fail. No one will notice the change." The Dalatrass was smiling as she told John this as if she was pleased with herself. John was disgusted by this, shaking his head.

"Except for the countless krogan who will still produce stillborns." John reminded. He was sure someone would notice if the Krogan only populated as fast as they currently do, especially if they were losing so many against the Reapers.

"No, at first, it will seem as if the cure has worked, allowing the Krogan to reproduce only for a few times before the genophage adapted to the new strain. No one will notice until after the war. The Krogan need not be any the wiser. Let Urdnot Wrex believed you have fulfilled your promise." The Dalatrass contradicted.

"Even if I was to even consider something so heinous, Mordin would never stand for that." John reminded. The Salarian that had once believed the genophage was the only solution was now one of its opposers, and possibly its demise.

"How you deal with him is up to you Commander." The Dalatrass promised. "And to offer an incentive, we can provide you with our very best scientists to build the Crucible…and the full support of our fleets." John hesitated on his response, realizing what this could mean. The Krogan would join the fight as will the Salarians if he went along with this plan. The Salarians were among the smartest of the galaxy, and having their scientists working on the crucible would guarantee its success. The Dalatrass smiled at his hesitation. "Think about it Commander. The choice is yours."

* * *

"Wrex, you sure you can do this after your….procedure?" John joked lightly as he looked at the Krogan next to him.

"One more word and somebody gets tossed out the shuttle." Wrex replied with a playful tone but everyone knew he would do it without a second thought. "I've ordered the clans to assemble at the Hollows. It's our sacred meeting ground. We'll land there and take an armored convoy against the Reaper. This will be the defining moment of Krogan history." Those last words hit John in the gut harder than he expected. The thought still toiled around in his brain, sabotaging the cure.

Could he really sabotage the cure? Could he really doom an entire race to extinction for this war? He wanted to deny it but he knew that in the back of his mind, the worst thing imaginable was taunting him. He would. He needed every fleet to take back Earth. Every fleet to take up arms against the Reapers. If the Salarians would refuse to fight because he cured the genophage but both fought if he sabotaged the cure. Why was this even in his head? Why was he even considering this?

"Commander, you seemed troubled." Eve mentioned, noticing the inner turmoil on the Commander's face as he mulled over the decision. Yes, he was troubled. He needed to tell them, to keep himself honest. To keep himself from doing something he could never forgive himself for.

"I got a message from the….." He began to tell them before the shuttle shook violently. A krogan voice came over the loudspeaker as they neared the Landing zone.

"Wrex! It's Wreav! The Reapers are already at the Hollows! Come out guns blazing!" The Krogan voice demanded. They nodded and looked at Cortez as he warned them he going in close. Explosions sounded around the shuttle, but thanks to the Kodiaks stealth drive, none of them were able to land a hit on them. The shuttle door opened as the landed, just in time for Wrex to happily blast away at Husk who had been there to greet them.

"Shepard! Keep them away from the female! I'll sort out what's happening with the other clans!" Wrex told him before sprinting off. John nodded and leapt from the shuttle.

"Liara! James! Stay with Eve and keep the Reapers off her. The rest of you, with me! Let's help out the Krogan." John told them, jumping out of the shuttle. The ones he hadn't told to stay behind followed closely behind, his sister laughing as she pulled the sniper off her back. When they entered the hollows, they were greeted with a warzone, their first sight was a Krogan yelling in fury as he sent a punch through a husk. Another Krogan was off to the side, the husks having already swarmed him with their overwhelming numbers, tearing at his armor and flesh as he fell back into the bones of his ancestors. The Krogan were already winning this battle, so when John's squad added their fire to the ongoing battle, it was only minutes before the husks were wiped out.

"They'll sing battle-songs about this day." Wrex announced happily as the last husk fell, walking out of where he had fought with the husks with several Krogan following behind him. "Reaper blood has finally soaked our soil." John shook his head and sprinted up to the Krogan as he realized what this delay meant.

"We have to hurry to the Shroud. The airstrike is on its way." John told Wrex, running up to him. Mordin was already coming down the steps, as a silent message the Reapers outside had been dealt with.

"Female safe. Vitals are strong." Mordin informed, walking up to where the two were standing. John nodded, glad that Eve was doing okay. He still was unsure about bringing the Krogan to the planet. John should have realized this was bound to happen when he turned and saw a crowd of angry Krogan approaching him.

"What's the Salarian doing here?" Growled the leader, who sounded like the Wreav who had warned them about the Reapers. "Nobody said anything about this." He remembered Wrex mentioning Wreav once, how they were brother's by blood, but not anything else.

"The Salarian is with me. He's here to help cure the genophage." John defended. Wreav growled and stomped forward, with clear intent towards Mordin.

"His kind gave us the genophage! Why should we trust him?" Wreav demanded to know. John was about to step in front of Wreav to protect Mordin when Wrex came up besides the angry Krogan and sent a fierce headbutt into the Krogan's face. As Wreav reared back in pain, Wrex huffed and rolled his soldiers.

"Because I do." Wrex told him, sending a message to the rest of the Krogan. To try and kill the Salarian is going against the Krogan leader. "And so will you Wreav." In a moment, all the calm in the room dissolved as Wreav's krogan began to egg their leader on to fight Wrex, causing him to draw his shotgun. Wrex drew his gun in response, and was ready to duke it out with his brother when a voice shouted above all the other Krogan:

"ENOUGH!" John turned towards the stairs as Eve stepped into the Hollows. Despite none of the Krogan knowing this woman, her clothes were that of a shaman and the Krogan immediately followed her command with respect. Wreav and Wrex stepped away from each other. Krogan on the second level came forward and watched with interest as Eve began her speech. "You can stay here and let old wounds fester as all Krogan have done or you can fight the enemy you were born to destroy—and win a new future for our children. I choose to fight." She walked through the Krogan masses as she said this, climbing into the center of the Hollows. She turned, a challenge alight in her eyes as she stared at Wreav and Wrex. "Who will join me?"

"I will." John said stepping out. It was a clear challenge to the rest of the Krogan. Would they all sit back and let an alien fight for their future?

"And so will I." Wrex answered without a second thought before turning his attention to the rest of the Krogan. "Now hold your head high like true krogan! There's a Reaper that needs killing!" The Krogan paused for a moment before they began to act like Krogan about to go into a battle. Slamming their fists together, war cries sounding through the Hollows. Even Wreav nodded, showing that they had his support for whatever it was worth. John nodded with approval and sprinted up the steps, ready to get on with this mission.

* * *

"Krogan ground convoy, this is Turian wing Artimec. Our flight vector to the Shroud is locked. We're ten minutes out and counting." The Turian wing leader told them as the Tomkahs travelled along the bridge.

"Copy that Artimec. We're on our way, trying to make up for lost time. Shepard out." John told them. He was turned away from Wrex and Eve as his mind was abuzz with guilty saturated thoughts.

"Wreav isn't the only Krogan who will want revenge for the genophage. Wrex, you'll have to placate them somehow." Eve warned the red clad leader across from her. That's what it boiled down to didn't it. Wrex was a special case, a Krogan who couldn't care for revenge. But Krogan like Wreav numbered in the thousands. Wrex couldn't possibly hope to maintain that many angry Krogan for very long.

"I'll demand that the council return some of our old territory. We'll need the room to expand—recapture the glory of the ancients." Wrex suggested, though John was sure he would have done this nonetheless. That was another thing, the Krogan would teach their children their beliefs. How many Krogan children would be taught to hate the Turians and the Salarians.

"'Glory of the Ancients' led to Krogan Rebellions. Countless deaths. Creation of genophage. Expansion plan….problematic." Mordin noted, speaking John's fear aloud.

"I'd say helping defeat the Reapers is worth a new planet." John agreed. Even if he didn't cure the genophage, the Krogan didn't deserve nothing.

"Or ten. You haven't seen how fast we can pop them out." Wrex laughed at John's comment. Eve's glare towards Wrex drew his attention as her silent disbelief filled the Tomkah. "What? With the genophage cured, we'll have a lot of catching up to do." Wrex shrugged it off. John felt his stomach twist with guilt as Wrex said this, looking away guiltily which caught Eve's attention.

"Commander, on the shuttle, was there something you were going to say?" Eve asked. John paused. He could end it now, tell them the truth and get rid of the temptation. But he hesitated. The Krogan were great shock troopers but even an infinite infantry would be nothing if they couldn't finish the Crucible and the Salarians had the expertise to do so. With a deep breath, he looked Eve right in the eye and said:

"No. It was nothing. Just thinking about Earth."

* * *

**Just a recap with a lot inner turmoil added. Pretty much self-explanatory.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Heyo! Ready yourself for Part 2 of the Tuchanka mission! Will John go through with it or will he stop himself in time? Read, Enjoy, Review.**

"Apologize for the lack of anesthetic. Drugs could reduce viability of cure. Need to do this procedure naturally." Mordin apologized as he strapped Eve into the lab chair. The STG team who had used this before had used this same chair to test the original strain of the virus on the first Krogan. And now it was being used to cure the virus. The irony of the situation was almost delicious. "Will try to reduce discomfort anyway possible." The chair was not designed to comfortable to sitter and Eve was clearly showing this on her face.

"Doctor, I'd like to hear the song again." Eve requested as Mordin got ready to get his tissue sample from the krogan, cleaning the scalpel best he can. Mordin paused for a moment, before shaking his head and continuing to prep his tissue synthesis.

"Again? Will need full concentration for cure synthesis. Would do better without….." Mordin tried to explain as he prepped his scalpel. Eve looked at the scalpel with a groan and a shake of the head. Maelon's data told Mordin that his best chance at cure would be to take a tissue sample from the hump on her back instead of a more logical area such as the brain or groin region.

"You said you would reduce my discomfort." Eve reminded as he got ready to cut. Mordin paused as if he were going to keep arguing before taking a deep breath and saying:

"Oh, better to die of thresher maw, with shotgun-blasting-roaring-raw….." Mordin began as he sunk the blade deep in the woman's hump. She clenched the chair tightly but did her best not to squirm against the restraints. The machine monitoring her vitals began to beep worryingly, forcing Mordin to block them out of his already slightly unfocused mind. "….than play ambassadorial games with the blood of Shiagur in her veins….." The vitals continued to get worse as Mordin cut deeper to extract the necessary cells needed. He shook his head. Maelon's research was specific in that the proper genetic coding to make the Krogan immune was in the hump, a sensitive but otherwise safe area. Eve would be okay. "…..Off to fight since Turians can't, with diplomats instead of Krantt…" Eve's eyes began to droop as her vitals continued to spike. Mordin quickly stopped cutting and reached for a syringe of adrenaline strong enough to wake a Krogan. Maelon's research stated a Krogan losing consciousness during the procedure would be…problematic. "…..But she will be true to Tuchanka's dream and live and die a Krogan queen." Eve was now opening her eyes once more, her energy levels rising. Mordin would have to speed up the procedure if he wanted to ensure Eve's survival.

"Fooooor….." Mordin was moving along with his song now, able to do the proper procedure while versing the song he was singing. "….She is the krogan queen. Hurrah! Hurrah for the Krogan queen. And it is, it tis a glorious thing to be the krogan queen!" Eve laughed at the end of the song, partly out of relief that Mordin had finished as the song ended and out of simple amusement of a Salarian singing the song. "Still prefer patter songs." Mordin voiced as he took the sample he took from Eve over to the research facility.

"Of course, I really had to twist your arm." She joked weakly at him. Mordin smiled and turned towards the two that Shepard had sent with him to ensure that Reapers didn't kill Eve while he was synthesizing the cure.

"Will need you to escort Eve to safe proximity. Best to use Tomkah. Reaper focused on Turians, will ignore lone vehicle." He paused for a moment before shrugging and saying: "In theory."

"Well, that doesn't make me feel any better." Vega commented as he began to undo one strap while the asari undid the other.

* * *

John entered the elevator room up to the shroud about the same time that Mordin did, watching with worry as Mordin tapped away at the console. Here was the moment that he was dreading the most. He sprinted down the stairs and ran up the Salarian as an explosion caused him to duck to avoid some shrapnel. "Is the cure ready?"

"Yes, loaded for dispersal in two minutes. Procedure traumatic for Eve but not lethal! Maelon's research invaluable!" Mordin told him as he tapped away at the console. "Headed to safety now with Vega and T'soni. Fortunate she survived. Will stabilize new government should Wrex get any ideas. Good match, promising future for Krogan." Mordin told him. John paused for a moment as he realized he never thought of Wrex seeking revenge. Sure, he seemed like he couldn't care for it, but….how long before that would change. Would power give him the illusion that he could overthrow the council? His thoughts were interrupted as a burning beam slammed into the ground near them, sending dust and debris into the air. The Reaper's fight with Kalros had damaged the tower severely, the tall structure crumbling already. "Control room at top of Shroud Tower, must take elevator up."

"You're going up there?" John asked skeptically as he looked up at the crumbling building before him. Anybody who went up there was bound to be killed before they could get back down.

"Yes. Readings at lab suggest temperature malfunction. Could affect the viability of the cure. Need to adjust settings manually." Mordin told him, pulling up his omni-tool and tapping something in. John paused for a moment as he silently cursed himself. He had been hoping that by some miracle, Mordin would not notice the temperature malfunction, that he would leave the Shroud and be none the wiser. But John had known that doing so, was like asking a Reaper to surrender.

"It's too dangerous Mordin. We need to get out of here." John told his friend. It wasn't just spoken to hide the sabotage from the Salarian.

"No! Temperature variances can destroy cure. Time running out. Have to go up!" Mordin sternly refused to listen. John lowered his head as he realized that this was going nowhere, playing the innocent party. Taking a deep breath and steeling himself, he raised his head and looked at Mordin with as much determination as he could.

"You're not going up there, Mordin." John told him. His hand was resting on his pistol now. Would he be able to do it, if he had to? Mordin paused for a moment before lowering his head.

"Not just concerned for my safety. Concerned I might discover something. Sabotage? But whose?" Mordin quickly pieced together. It wasn't long before Mordin took a deep breath and let out an Ahh as he came to the right conclusion. He turned his head towards John, a glare evident in his eyes. "Why Shepard? That desperate for Salarian aid? Or that afraid of Krogan?" Mordin's words were laced with anger and accusations, but the biggest emotion in them was disappointment. John had always stood so firmly against the accusations that Krogan deserved the genophage, that seeing him turn now…. Mordin shook his head and walked towards the elevator, not caring what John wanted.

"Everytime we talked about this before, you defended the genophage. Hell, I had to convince you to save Maelon's data! How can you change your mind now?" John demanded to know as he followed the Salarian. Mordin clenched his fingers and spun to face the man behind him.

"I MADE A MISTAKE!" He yelled. He paused for a moment, as if he just realized this himself. "I made a mistake. Focused on big picture. Big picture made of little pictures. Too many variables. Can't stop now, gone too far. Krogan deserve a cure!" John acted before he could think, pulling his pistol from his side and pointing it at the Salarian.

"Mordin, walk away." He told the Salarian the best he could. Mordin didn't flinch at the gun but John could see the emotions in his eyes. Shock, betrayal, anger, hate, disbelief. All being directed at him. No, he couldn't back down now. Not after he made it this far. He needed the Salarians help, to end the war and save everyone, not just the Krogan. In his mind he was pleading for the scientist to take him seriously, to turn and leave.

"Can't do that Shepard." Mordin told him, staring defiantly at the gun in John's hands.

"I don't have a choice here anymore Mordin. Walk away or I fire!" He warned the Doctor. His finger was itching closer to the trigger. He was going to have to do it. He was going to have to kill Mordin. Mordin didn't seem to care either way.

"Not your decision. Not your work. Not your cure." Mordin told him getting closer to the barrel of the gun. "No time to argue. Cure dispersal imminent. Must counteract sabotage. Stop me if you must." With that being said, Mordin turned his back on John, walking towards the elevator as he did so. John aimed the gun, square on his back. One bullet would be all it would take. One bullet would put down this Salarian and keep the cure from being complete. John lowered his finger to the trigger and closed his eyes. Time slowed and John's mind raced as he began to pull back the trigger. And….

He couldn't do it. Sighing, John let the gun slide from his grasp and clattered to the floor beside him. He looked at his hands, disgusted he even thought of doing something so heinous as killing a friend, just so some damn Salarians wouldn't get their panties in a bunch and join the war. "I'm sorry." He told Mordin as the Salarian turned to face him. John didn't expect forgiveness, knowing full well that the doctor had every right to hate him until his dying breath. What Mordin did next however, made him feel even worse.

"I'm not. Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten wrong." He told John, a smile on his face. After all this, after John almost killed him because he wouldn't betray the Krogan, he still forgave him in less than a second. He forgave him. "Would have liked to study seashells." He told him, hitting the button to go up. John turned with a heavy sigh and walked away, intent on heading back to the tomkah. As he walked, he heard Mordin in his comm. They hadn't disconnected it, so every word he was saying was going to John. Explosions sounded around him but Mordin said nothing as the sounds of beeps filled the void.

"Hmmm hmmm hmmm, I've studied species Turian, asari, and batarian." Mordin began to sing low, probably underneath his breath. John felt his guilt weigh on him even more as he picked up his pace, sprinting through the facility to get out before it exploded. He listened though, listened as the computer in the room with Mordin said the sabotage was fixed and the cure being dispersed. John turned his head as he ran outside, watching as the top of the Shroud exploded with golden flecks that immediately spread for mile and miles, out of eyesight even before John could get two more steps in. "My xenoscience studies range from urban to agrarian. I am the very model of….." A large explosion cut the line, making Joh stop as he realized the worst had happened. He turned as a large explosion blossomed from the top part of the Shroud, where Mordin had been. The golden flecks had begun to fall now, landing on his armor and exploded into a cloud of golden dust. John caught one in his hand, rubbing the leather padding as the golden fleck exploded. The genophage was cured, the Krogan were now free of the burden of sterility, but one thing was yet to be done. John took a deep breath and in a sad whisper, finished the song:

"Of a scientist salarian."

* * *

"A long time ago, my father betrayed me in this place. His own son." Wrex told John as he led the human back into the Hollows. The rest of the team had returned to the Normandy, John only remaining behind at his own behest. There was something that he needed to do. "He tried to kill me. So I had to kill him." Wrex looked around for a second before pointing to a spot that was black from ancient blood. "Right over there. That's what the genophage had reduced us to. But you changed that today, Shepard." John paused as the guilt covered him in a wave at Wrex's words. Would Wrex still be telling him this if he knew that John had come so close to betraying him, so close to killing the Krogan people.

"Now, we'll fight for our children. Not against them." Eve finished. "It was just a pity that Mordin had to die."

"He would have had it any other way. And I'm sure wherever he is, he's putting in a good word for us." John said, looking into Tuchanka's sky. The sun seemed brighter than before it had when he landed. He wondered if the cure was for the planet as well. A planet poisoned by war and conflict, finally given a second chance, like its people.

"We'll name one of the kids after him…Maybe a girl." Wrex told John, the slight joke meant to uplift the spirits of his obviously guilt-ridden friend.

"But you Commander. We can thank you in person." Eve told him. Now was the best time.

"You shouldn't." John admitted, looking at them. "I have something to tell you Wrex." The red clad Krogan looked at him in curiosity, wondering what this was about. "The Dalatrass contacted me just before we came to Tuchanka. She wanted me to…sabotage the cure, in exchange for Salarian aid." He turned away, not able to face his friend. How could he, after this Krogan had called him a brother and a hero to the Krogan people, even while he planned to betray them. "I….I almost did it to. I almost killed Mordin to keep him from giving you the cure. But in the end….." He took another deep breath as his words began to fail him. His throat was closing and his eyes burned though they had yet to form tears. "I just couldn't do it. I couldn't sabotage the cure. But I don't deserve your thanks or your praise. I don't deserve anything." John rested his hands in his head as he said this. How was Wrex taking this, was his anger boiling, did he plan on killing John because of his thoughts of betrayal. It wasn't long before he felt a hand on his shoulder. Not one filled with anger, not one of disbelief, but one of understanding.

"Shepard, I knew about the deal." Wrex told him, pushing John so that the human faced him. "I found out who the Shadow Broker was, remember? This was like child's play."

"So, why…." John started to ask, baffled by why the Krogan had remained silent when John hadn't come forward on the Tomkah.

"Because, Shepard, I trusted you. I knew that even if you were thinking about, you would never do it. Because you're a good man Shepard, and better yet, because you are my friend." Wrex told him.

"But what if I had?" John wondered, his guilt slowing growing larger as he realized about the amount of trust that Wrex had in him.

"Then I would have hunted you down and killed you." Wrex laughed loudly, as if it was a very funny joke now. John was sure that would be a different story had he followed through with his plan. "Right after I withdrew all the Krogan support from the war. But you didn't, and that's all that matters." Wrex told him. John smiled as he realized that, by some miracle, Wrex had made him feel better. Wrex laughed at this and pulled John in close. "When this is all over Shepard, first round of Ryconol is on me!"

"Thanks Wrex." John told him.

"What are friends for if they don't buy the drinks!?" Laughed Wrex, hitting hard on the shoulder, causing him to stumble slightly. John turned towards Eve as she remained silent throughout the conversation. Had she a less friendly approach to what John just admitted to them? She smiled underneath her hood and walked up to him.

"Do you remember what I told you, Commander? When I gave the crystal?" Eve asked, folding her arms behind her back. "In the darkest hour, there is always hope. Sometimes, you will begin to dig the wrong way Commander, but I have faith you'll always see the light in the darkness. And with so many races looking towards you for help, you will need to Commander." John nodded as she reminded him about the grimness of the war they fought. "When those times come, just remember Commander, that because of your actions, know that Urdnot Bakara and all Krogan call you friend."

**AH, and so we come the climax. Unfortunately, you all know my character far too well. (Unsure if that means he's too predictable or that interesting of a character). I also felt that there should have been a scene where you come clean to Wrex after the mission if you didn't before. And to be honest, if Wrex figured out who the Shadow Broker was, I'm sure someone would have tipped Wrex off during the Tuchanka mission. Also, the saddest part of Mordin dying was always the fact that he never got to finish the song. Gives me manly tears every time.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Heyo! I'm back after so many days of silence. Long story short. Hectic time, first day I've had free for a while and may have for a bit. So, I'm going to squeeze out updates for all my stories while I'm free. Anyways, Read, Enjoy, Review.**

The oily shadows taunted him, using the voices of those he had lost. Ash spoke to him, telling him to go save the Lieutenant and that she would be fine. Mordin spoke to him, accusing him of being too afraid of the krogan. But the worst was the boy. The boy that fled every time John grew near. The boy who would flee and burn, while John was too slow, too helpless, unable to save him each and every time. His arms and legs felt like lead and he felt he was walking through thick liquid. He moved too slow, he didn't act fast enough and the boy died. The boy would burn to nothingness before his eyes and he would wake up, to find his waking hours were no better.

* * *

When Johanna walked into John's room, holding underneath her arm a tin jar, she was surprised to find his bed empty, the sheets tossed about as if someone had been trapped underneath them. The sound of running water drew her attention to the private bathroom in her brother's cabin, making her realize what had happened. Garrus had already seen the wear and tear that Tuchanka had taken on John, combined with the death of Mordin and the temptation of the sabotage offered by the Dalatrass. An offer that Johanna may have taken. But it had caused her brother enough distress and the message that the Dalatrass had sent him had been no better, causing Johanna to leave a rather fun surprise in the Dalatrass's computer. Something that would be even more fun if the salarian didn't have backups of all her files and lost everything next time she opened her emails.

"John, you in here?" She asked, tapping lightly on the door to the bathroom.

"Yeah." Was the response she got in turn. It was low and grim, an unusual combination for her brother. She sighed and set the jar down on the table next to his personal terminal.

"Something wrong?" She guessed. It was more of a statement than a question. She had been upset about Mordin's death but she knew it had been necessary. Sometimes, the few must sacrifice themselves to protect the many. Her brother always had different views. If he had his way, everyone would survive and everyone would go home with nothing more than scratch. But war took away that luxury.

"Just thinking about some friends who aren't around because of this war." Was John's answer. His voice was heavy with sadness and guilt. Johanna shook her head as she heard this.

"Yeah, well that's the Reaper's fault John, not yours." She told him, walking over to the door and leaning on the wall next to it. She was glad that she had intercepted Liara on her way up to John, as she had planned on passing on a message. Johanna doubted that her brother would want the Asari seeing him in such a vulnerable time. "Anyone in particular?"

"No one I want to talk about right now." John said after a long pause. Johanna shook her head and knew who he must be thinking about. Ashley Williams. From how Garrus described her, she was a hardcore lady. Even managed to convince her that Ashley would have ended up her best friend if she had been in with her brother during the first time he ran interference against the reapers.

"Well, don't tell me then." She playfully told him, showing she understood his reluctance about the subject. "But I would like it if you come out of the bathroom. I have some things for you." She walked back over to the desk and grabbed the tin jar, turning around and shoving it outwards as her brother opened the bathroom door. He looked taken back at her direct approach but took the tin and opened it, revealing her present to be….a jar of dirt.

"Dirt? I don't know what to say." John joked half-heartedly, looking at it.

"Well, thanks, would be nice. I did dig around in the dirt for you. But that's not normal dirt." Johanna told him.

"Is it magical dirt?" He joked again. This one had more feeling behind it and Johanna smiled lightly as she realized her brother was coming out of his depressed mode.

"No, it's Tuchankan dirt." She told him. Her brother held the dirt a little bit away from himself as she said that, making her laugh. "Minus the toxic radiation. I just figured that it would be a helpful reminder, when you're feeling down and out."

"Of what?" John wondered as he placed the lid back onto the jar.

"Of the planet you saved. The lives that are getting better because of you. The growing number of people that see you as a walking example of a legend." Johanna told him. "This war is going to hard John. We're going to lose people and there's no way around that. But….it would nice to reminded about those we do save, those that are alive because of us. I just figured having this around would remind you when you forget. So put it some place easy to see." John paused as he looked at the dirt, his face a mix of emotions, most positive. She coughed and drew his attention back to her. "There's also something else." Her tone said all she needed to. The heartwarming moment was over and it was back to the reality of the war before them. John set the jar of dirt off to the side, on his desk before turning his full attention back to his sister. "The Salarian councilor has an 'urgent' matter to talk with you about."

"Let me guess, he called the comm room." John guessed, sighing with annoyance. She knew he preferred reading messages over his private terminal than the new QEC system that they had set up.

"Maybe the politicians are finally taking the Crucible seriously. A Reaper on Tuchanka is hardly something worth ignoring." Johanna shrugged her shoulders. "In any case, I'll be in the gun battery if you need me. But knock first." She laughed at her brother's narrowed glare before leaving him to discuss politics. Just because the galaxy was ending didn't mean she shouldn't tease her brother a little more while she had the chance. She may not have the chance to do so much longer. As she stepped into the elevator, she paused as a throaty cough reached her throat, causing her to pause long enough to get it out before hitting the button to the third floor.

* * *

Samantha laughed with happiness as she looked over the views that her latest episode on Battlespace had got. Everyone had enjoyed watching Kalros, the mother of all Thresher Maws, take down a Reaper. A worm destroying the most feared thing in the galaxy was certainly a sight to behold. And she was the only reporter in the entire galaxy with the footage. It was truly a wondrous thing. She kicked her knee onto storage container and looked over at her private terminal looking over her most recent messages. Most were of praises and blessings because of her footage, mostly from her editors, producers and some rather devot fans. A few of the fans asked her if she managed to get into John Shepard's pants yet, to which she laughed and deleted the message without answering. However, the final message caught the most attention. _**Getting up in the world, Bluejay? **_She paused as she considered opening the message. There was only one person in the entire galaxy that should know that code name. Taking a deep breath, she clicked the message and opened it.

_**So, I see that you managed to get yourself latched onto the Normandy. It's a powerful ship, even if it is an Alliance Ship. I saw your footage of the Tuchanka Reaper being destroyed and of the Salarian's sacrifice. He will be remembered for the days to come unlike those we have lost before. I…..I'm not sure what else to put. I'm not sure if we should continue where we left off or….if you've already forgotten and moved on. But, even without clarification, I suppose I can offer you this. The Asari Government may have declared all Asari Commandos back to Asari space but I don't owe them my loyalty anymore. Say the word, and I will send any support I have gathered over to Commander Shepard's service to use as he sees fit. And…..Don't be a stranger this time, okay?**_

_**-J**_

Samantha hesitated as she read the message over and over again, wondering if this was actually her or someone who had very good intelligence on Black Ops. But….what if it was her? Did she really want to chance it and find out that it was actually her? Samantha sighed and was about to type in a message when the door behind her opened. Quickly, she clicked the computer, powering it off and turned to her new arrival. It was merely John Shepard again, looking at her with expectance.

"Commander! I've been meaning to talk to you. Thanks to you, I'm the most well known war correspondent in the entire galaxy right now!" She greeted with a laugh.

"Glad to hear you're getting the footage you need." John told her with a nod.

"Yeah, well, just get me more footage of Reapers getting what's coming to them, and I'll be a very happy reporter." She told him. She paused for a moment, going through a few moments of indecisions before saying. "By the way Commander, I needed to talk with you about something else. I got a message, promising the support of an Asari Mercenary team ready to join the war effort. Give the word and I'll give them to Admiral Hackett."

"Do it." John told her. "Anything else?"

"Nothing that concerns the war." She told him before she stopped herself. Samantha paused and rubbed her head with annoyance as she realized she should have kept this to herself. But John's interest was already piqued and he tilted his head with curiosity at her. "Commander, I have a personal question if you have the time."

"Go ahead, Sam." He told her with a nod.

"Well…say you liked someone you worked with and the two of you entertained the idea of it being a possibility…..before you were forced to go your separate ways. And say that you got the impression that the other person wanted to try for a relationship once again. What do you do?" Samantha asked.

"Well, that would really depend on how I felt about them still. If I thought there was a chance that it could work out and if I really cared about them, then yes. But this is a question only….one of those two could answer." John told Samantha. She sighed nodded, thinking about his advice. Did she really think that it would work out well? This was not a question she could answer in a few minutes.

"Thanks anyways Commander. Hey, while you're here, care to do an interview for me?" She asked, typing into her omni-tool and calling Sparks back from where he was watching the garbage compact and be vented with some odd enjoyment. She was beginning to wonder if the Reaper gunk had shorted out some of his wiring back on Manae. After she managed to pull Sparks away from the garbage compactor, she pulled up the number of questions that had been put up.

"Commander Shepard, with the recent events on Tuchanka ending with the genophage being cured, many species are worried that humanity is starting another Rachni War and Krogan Rebellions. Do you have anything to say on this?"

"Yes. It's easy to remember the worst things in Krogan history, but many people are also forgetting the best." John told her.

"Meaning?"

"The Krogan were heroes once and they want to be heroes again. Humanity and the Turians are giving them that chance."

"Are you aware Clan Urdnot, the leading clan on Tuchanka, is petitioning the council for an embassy on the citadel and rights to a colony world." Samantha led him along.

"The Krogan are currently coming to the aid of one Council homeworld and are ready to aid another. That's more than some species could say." Samantha resisted her smile at the veiled shot at the Salarian and Asari, who were content with hiding behind their own forces instead of helping them. "It was my choice to help them get the genophage cure. Anything else is between them and the Council."

"And there you have it, straight from the mouth of Commander Shepard. This is Master Sergeant Samantha Crane with Battlespace, and until tomorrow, fight the good fight." She told the audience that would watch this later. Sparks deactivated his light a second later and began to upload the footage to her private terminal for editing. "Thanks Commander, it'll do the populace good to see your opinion on something. When we get on the Citadel, think you can use your Spectre status to get me near the Turian Councilor, it would increase our ratings and give an insider view."

"We're heading there now. We'll see afterwords." John told her. She nodded her thanks and went over to her terminal to begin the long process of editing, and then maybe type a message for a certain someone.

* * *

**Ok, explanation time. I replaced Liara with Johanna because it made sense. Most of you know what I mean. Uh, with Samantha, I figured I give her an outside relationship with her remaining teammate as people are often the closest during Suicide missions. Anyways, I'll expand more on this later, maybe with a scene on the citadel.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Heyo! I'm back everyone, after the long and somewhat unexpected break. Long story short, time does not work well for the aspiring writer. But, I have finally found the time to write my new entries and hope you enjoy. (Sorry if my character's seem a bit changed. Like I said, its been a bit since I've wrote in their point of view. If they seem too OOC, let me know and I'll correct it.) BTW, I'm now beginning the countdown until Tali makes her debut. Three Chapters away and counting. Read, enjoy, Review.**

Katori yawned as she looked over the Presidium from the window, watching a pair of Salarian businessmen in particular. One was waving his arms about and laughing as if having the time of his life. Of course, he was probably on Sur'Kesh when the Reapers hit, not having to witness the death and destruction that the machines caused just by being there. "The six men that just entered the hospital, do you see them?" Thane mentioned from beside her, hardly turning to note the men that he had seen. Katori discreetly turned her head, noting the six men that had began to approach the main desk. Two were supporting one, carrying him as if his leg had been injured, but her cybernetics implants told her that the leg was barely injured. A slight sprain at worst. "Each one is carrying a concealed weapon. The three in the back are looking around for security while the two carrying the man will cause a disturbance." No sooner had he said this, did the men carrying the man pretend to drop the man, causing him to scream in pain. The three behind the two men quickly leapt forward as if to help.

Thane stood from his chair and crossed his hand in front of him as they did this. "Amonkira. Lord of the Hunters. Grant that my hands be steady, my aim be true, and my feet swift." Katori watched as two of the four C-Sec guard in the hospital went forward to help out with the man. Katori slowly tightened her grip on her makeshift kendo sword and stepped around the seat, slowly creeping towards the men. "And should the worst come to pass….Grant me forgiveness." The six men erupted from the pile, with Phalanx pistols in their hands and let loose a torrent of bullets. The two C-Sec guards that had come forward were immediately gunned down, never standing a chance against the group of men while civilians and doctors scattered in terror and panic. Katori used the confusion to leap forward towards the men, using her makeshift Kendo weapon to hit the weapon from the first one's hand.

The six turned her attention towards Katori, which gave Thane the ability to make his entrance. He appeared behind the middle one, and checked the man's shoulder to prevent him from turning around before placing a hand on his chin and on the base of his neck before easily snapping it. The other two turned towards him in surprise only to be similarly taken down. The one on the right received a vicious punch in the throat that collapsed the man's windpipe before spinning and sending his foot into the other man's stomach. Katori used the distraction to deal with her own foes, bringing the hilt of her kendo stick around and hitting the man across the face. As he stumbled into the sights of his two friend's, who were about to shoot her, she kicked up the weapon on the floor, catching it with a single hand and firing three shots that ended the lives of the three men she had fought.

Katori turned towards Thane as he snapped the neck of the final enemy, easily dispatching the six men that had attempted to cause take over the hospital. "These men are not equipped to maintain a strong hold on the hospital. It is likely more are on the way." Thane told her, breathing rather heavily despite his ease in taking down the men. Katori nodded, tossing her makeshift Kendo sword aside and prepping her pistol.

"What's going on?" sounded a voice behind them, causing them both to turn as Kaiden Alenko left the room where so many had fled to for safety. He was dressed in his combat armor, having been cleared to leave today and assume SPECTRE activities on the Citadel.

"Armed men attempted a hostile takeover. Thane and me put them down but more are on the way." Katori informed him. She tossed him a pistol that was the sidearm of one the fallen C-Sec officers. She turned and looked outside the hospital as several shuttled began to descend from the sky and drop several men off, who fired without mercy at the civilians and any of the poorly equipped C-Sec officers that attempted to stop them.

"My god!" Kaiden said as he watched this as well, now holding a Predator pistol from one of the fallen C-Sec guards. The surviving guards were watching as well, their weapons in hand and serious looks on their face. "You four, get ready to defend the hospital. I'm going to protect the Council!" Kaiden ordered C-Sec and the two Martial artists near him, turning around and then sprinting towards the elevator. Katori and Thane glanced at each other before running after him, attempted to enter the elevator with him only to halted by the closing elevator.

"I'm not too fond on the idea of breaking a promise." Katori mentioned, watching the elevator descend downwards. She pulled up her omni-tool, trying to get into the elevator's systems only to find herself locked out. "Damn, he's locked down the elevator. He must be trying to keep Cerberus from getting to the hospital the easy way. Or us in."

"It seems we must take the long way down." Thane nodded, turning towards the glass of the lobby. Katori nodded and popped a fresh thermal clip into her gun just to be sure.

* * *

Johanna sent her omni-blade into the Cerberus soldier's chest, then brought the struggling body around to take the bullets sent by two other soldiers. Without hesitation, the other soldiers sent bullet after bullet into their comrade until they had to reload, forcing Johanna to prop her rifle underneath the man's armpit and fire blindly in their direction. The first bullet struck lucky, going straight through the chest of the first soldier, but the next few weren't as much. Thankfully, around the tenth bullet, one struck the man's leg and caused him to fall, giving Johanna enough time to drop her human shield and sent the rest of her clip into the man. She turned as her brother and Javik used their biotics to send several Cerberus soldiers into the wall with a reassuring sound of crunching bones followed by the firing of rifles.

"What does Cerberus want on the Citadel?" She questioned as she looked around at the dead bodies compiled.

"The Citadel houses the Council. We know that Cerberus is indoctrinated, maybe their striking to destabilize Council forces." John suggested, looking around at the Cerberus lackeys that they had killed. "Come on, we're near the Executor's office."

"It doesn't make sense though. If you want to destabilize the Council, you attack from the shadows. A well-placed bomb here, a discreet assassin there. You don't launch a full on attack that may or may not work." Garrus agreed with Johanna.

"I agree. If they are truly under the Reapers command, then they would not risk themselves in such a manner without an ulterior objective." Javik mentioned, shooting his beam rifle at a squirming Cerberus soldier, effectively disintegrating the man. The conversation didn't carry on beyond this, as everyone reached the same conclusion at the same time. The only way to know for certain was to secure the Salarian councilor and see what he needed. They continued to blast their way through Cerberus soldiers, gunning the men down left and right all the way up to the Executor's office.

* * *

Katori dug around through the armory, looking around for a weapon to her liking. A pistol was fine and it would do in a pinch but she needed her trademark Katana, which the doctors had confiscated and given to C-Sec. She had lost Thane when a Cerberus shuttle had separated them, but they managed to stay in contact with him over the radio. "I see Shepard. His team has just reached the Executor's office. I'm going to make contact." He said as she tossed the fifth Avenger from the pile of weapons.

"Alright, once I find my weapon, I'll rendezvous with you guys. Shepard's bound to go for the rest of the council afterword." Katori agreed, smiling as she finally found what she was looking for. A Katana, and it could only be hers. It wasn't one of those replica swords that were mass produced these days, made from a hardened carbon substitute for steel molded into the blade. No, this was forged like the ancient swords that her father had told her that her ancestors had spent hours forging. It had been something of a rite of passage in her household, where someone would forge a unique blade using the methods of old, a blade that would theirs alone. She also upgraded it so that it could use mass effect fields to slice through infantry armor better, since they had evolved beyond a normal blade's abilities.

"Wait a minute, I see something." Thane said in his monitor. "An assassin. He has the Salarian councilor." Katori stood up, taking the katana firmly in one hand and her pistol in the other.

"I'm on my way!" She shouted and sprinted off into the empty halls, jumping over the bodies of the Cerberus lackeys she had killed in order to get into the nearest C-Sec office. Thane didn't respond, but she could hear the small click of his Phalanx pistol unfolding as he went to confront the assassin. She paused when she heard the sound of thumping as a fight unfolded by the sound of it. She listened, her stomach twisting every time the thump was too loud, knowing that it meant Thane was the one who had been struck. She wanted to call his name, to see how the fight was going, but she knew that would only distract him, only take his mind away from the fight at hand. She needed to hurry.

* * *

"Come on, Thane, hold it together." Johanna told her drell friend as she put pressure on his bleeding wound. Her brother has already gone off with Javik, Samantha and Garrus, intent on stopping the assassin before he could reach the rest of the council. The sky car could only hold four and she had no reservations about being left behind to care for the injured drell. Besides, she doubted she would have much interest in protecting the politicians of the citadel.

"Hey, Lola, is he going to be alright?" James asked, walking over to her.

"Not if we don't get him to Huerta now!" Johanna told him curtly. "James, you'll need to carry him. Liara and I will keep Cerberus off your ass." She told him. She turned and blasted a Cerberus soldier across the presidium with a well-placed shot with her sniper rifle. Damn Cerberus. They were definitely going to pay now. What the hell was the point in this?

"He don't look too good." James mentioned as he lifted Thane to his feet.

"Siha." Thane said, his voice struggling to be heard over the sounds of distant battle. Johanna turned at the sound of her nickname, the name Thane had thought appropriate for her and Samara when on the Normandy. Thane reached out and placed a communicator in her hand as she acknowledged him. "Give her Shepard's location. She will provide support." He told her. His voice was strained and filled with pain. Johanna nodded as a silent message for James to get a move on.

"Hello, this is Lieutenant Commander Johanna Shepard. Who am I speaking to?" She asked, placing the communicator in her ear.

"Takara Katori. Same rank. Where is Thane-sensai?" Came the voice from the other end.

"Thane's been stabbed. He's in critical condition. He said you need to get your ass to these coordinates and fast. An assassin is on his way there and is moving fast." She told the other person, pausing for a moment to gun down two Cerberus soldiers who rounded the corner.  
"Arigatou." Katori responded before the line died. Johanna shook her head and went on to escort James to the hospital.

* * *

Katori waited by the elevator, ready to take out who came through first. The assassin had a lead on her but, using the vents, she'd managed to beat both him and Shepard to their location. She gripped her katana in one hand, a cold malice coming over her. The man about to exit the elevator was responsible for injuring Thane, a man she had come to know as a good friend. The first elevator has arrived and she gripped her sword threateningly. However, the sight of a familiar galatic hero prevented her from striking first.

"Katori?" John said, surprised to find the woman here.

"Continue on with your mission. I will hold the assassin here." She told him curtly. John hesitated, as if he had more questions but nodded when he realized that she was right. Kai Leng was right behind them and he needed to protect the councilors. They rushed past her, only John tossing her one worried look before closing the door behind them and shutting off the lock. She sighed and waited for the other elevator to open. Closing her eyes, she turned off her translator and whispered underneath her breath.

"**I make the heavens and earth my parents**

**I have no home.**

**I make awareness my home**

**I have no life and death.**

**I make the tides of breathing my life and death**

**I have no divine power.**

**I make honesty my divine power**

**I have no means.**

**I make adaptability to all circumstances my principles**

**I have no tactics**

**I make my mind my friend**

**I have no enemy**

**I make carelessness my enemy**

**I have no armour**

**I make benevolence and righteousness my armour**

**I have no castle**

**I make immovable mind my castle**

**I have no sword**

**I make absence of self-interest my sword."**

The elevator opened as she said the last word, and knowing that this was the man she had been waiting for, she attacked. The first phantom had no chance of defending herself before Katori's blade sunk deep into her chest, tearing through her armor with it's mass effect field. The two behind Kai Leng were sent to their graves next as Katori sent a bullet from her pistol into both of their heads. Kai Leng responded, spinning on his heel and bringing his foot around and connecting with her hand, allowing him to kick the weapon from her hand. Katori leapt back, out of range of his sword which she was sure was going to be used in a follow up attack, while simultaneously pulling her own free. She paused, sizing up her two opponents in the second that followed.

The remaining Phantom and Leng seemed to be both using a Ninjato, a shorter variant of the katana, meaning she had the advantage at a length with her own blade. However, he held his hand out, projecting a kinetic barrier from his palm, protecting him from any projectile weaponry should she have more, meaning that he was attempting to draw her into his swords reach. His other hand remained closed, but her cybernetics detected the occasional pulse of energy, letting her know he had a weapon built into his hand for medium ranged battles. The Phantom seemed to mirror Kai Leng, only with less impressive equipment than her commander.

The remaining phantom was the first to engage her, leaping from the elevator and attempting to bring her blade down on the woman. She stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding the blade and brought her foot up in response, sending her leg into the woman's side and into the wall of the elevator. However, before she could follow up with another vicious attack meant to disable the woman, the assassin sent a blast from his palm that slammed into her, sending her to the floor. Katori flowed with the attack, using her momentum to roll back onto her feet as she hit the floor and coming face to face once again with her two opponents. Or….one.

Only the Phantom was in sight now, Kai Leng having seemingly disappeared. She gripped her weapon tightly, doing her best to scan the room without taking her eyes off the phantom. The man was an assassin after all, and it would only fit to reason that the assassin would have a tactical cloak. The Phantom wasn't making a move to attack, though she occasionally feinted as if she would launch an attack, making sure that Katori did not take her attention off of the woman in front of her.

That's when she heard it , the faint sound of a tactical cloak disengaging. She spun on her left foot, attempting to drive her heel into Kai Leng's side. The assassin managed to block it but disrupted his attack in the meantime, preventing him from driving his ninjato into Katori's back. The Phantom seized her chance, attempting to leap forward and drive her blade into Katori's unprotected side. Reacting on instinct, Katori twisted away, managing to turn the phantoms fatal wound into a mere cut on her side. Then, using the momentum from the twist, Katori brought her blade around and dealt a vicious slash across the woman's stomach. It wasn't fatal at the moment, but the phantom dropped to her knees and her sword was well away from her reach, effectively taking her out of the battle for the moment. Now, it was just her and Kai Leng.

Before the two could re-engage each other in another display of martial arts, the elevator opened, giving way to a group of C-Sec officers that charged into the room. Upon seeing Kai Leng, they let loose a torrent of bullets that flew at the Cerberus Assassin. Kai Leng's tactical cloak activated, making it seem as if the C-Sec officers had been firing at thin air. Katori, listening to the sound s around her. A tell-tale thump above her told her all she needed to know. Sighing, she lowered her sword and shook her head. The bastard got away.

**Okay, much needs explained here. Let's begin with the most obvious. I've introduce Katori into Shepard's campaign as a sort martial artist specialist, as there is none in game. Of course it makes sense, seeing as it is a game and that would require a whole new set of mechanics. However, it was always aggravating to watch my Shepard go up against Kai Leng and get his ass kicked because of this, so I took the liberty of making Takara Katori Kai Leng's nemesis per se. Also, I made her more in touch with her ethnic background because I've noticed none of your character's do this as much. Sure, the occasional side quest giver, but other than James, how often do you see a squadmate in touch with their ethnic background. Also, the poem was supposed to be in Japanese, but I couldn't find a Romanized version of it. Finally, Katori's fight with Kai Leng. I always found it hard to believe that if Kai Leng could so easily dispatch Shepard and his squadmates in Thessia, he couldn't just simply deal with Commander Bailey and his two C-Sec officers, especially considering Bailey is injured. I suppose that is all for now. Tune in next time for a glorious enjoyment of Forever Family, featuring your favorite characters. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Heyo! I bet you thought that it was just a fluke when I promised you to that I was back. Well shame on you for your doubts! SHAMMMME! Just kidding. Anyways, here is the next chapter in my Forever Family series and, upon looking at my story, I realized my count for Tali was off. She is in fact, in the very next chapter. Read, Enjoy, Review.**

It had been almost an entire day before they had a chance to make it to the hospital, which was still busy and overrun with patients still. But they weren't interested in the C-Sec that was injured or the civilians, rushing to the back and getting to the door they were looking for as quickly as they could. When John and Johanna entered the room, they were aware of two others that were already in there. One was a face that they had already guessed would be here, Thane's son Kolyat, wearing a similar clothing to his father. However, the second, while expected, still surprised the Shepards, as they did not expect her to be in the room. Katori regarded them with a simple nod. Kolyat noticed her greeting and turned to face the two.

"Shepard, my father mentioned that you were no longer incarcerated. Greetings to you as well Johanna. I don't know if you two remember me, I'm Kolyat Krios. I came to donate blood and…." He paused and looked back at his father, who was hooked to multiple machines that just barely kept him alive. "….well, he asked me to take off his oxygen mask so that he could….comfortable. I don't think it will be very long now."

"Your father helped us save a lot of lives. We'd like to be here." John more stated than asked. He knew that Kolyat would not refuse his father someone who wanted to say their last good-byes.

"Of course." Kolyat nodded with acceptance. John nodded his thanks and approached Thane's bed with Johanna following behind.

"Shepard, Johanna…." He took a deep breath that was straggled and barely drawing in air, sounding almost painful for the drell. Katori flinched as she heard the straggled gasp but did nothing, remaining silent. "I'm afraid…I won't be joining….you again." Thane apologized to them between his gasps for air.

"That's alright. You've done more than enough Thane." John assured him.

"That assassin should be embarrassed….a terminally ill drell managed to stop him from reaching his target." Thane mentioned.

"I'll make sure to pass the word along." Johanna promised in a slight joking manner. John regarded his sister, who kept swallowing down her tears to the ignorance of the others. He never thought his sister would have gotten so close to the drell before them but he understood it. John had always found some wisdom in their talks, a sort of peace that he always thought had escaped him. Thane looked at them for a moment with a look of contentment before suddenly widening his eyes.

"There is something that I must do before it gets worse. I must…." He started out excitedly, speaking more quickly than they had seen before. This, of course, had its consequences as Thane soon erupted into a bout of hoarse and wheezy coughs, with gasps of breath in between. Kolyat took a deep breath and lowered his head, folding his hands in front of him in a praying motion that they had seen Thane do so many times before a mission.

"Kalahira, Mistress of Inscrutable depths, I ask forgiveness. Kalahira, who's waves wear down stone and sand…" Thane began a prayer but stopped as a bout of coughing caused him to lean over the side of his bed. John clenched his fist as his complete uselessness to help his friend right now.

"Kalahira, wash the sins from this one and set him on the distant shore where the eternal spirit rests." Kolyat finished the prayer for his father. When his father finished coughing, he greeted his son with a smile, and eyes full of pride.

"Kolyat…." He managed to gasp out. "You speak as the priests do….You have been spending time with them." Kolyat didn't answer verbally, but the small nod was all Thane needed for his response. He lifted his head and walked over to where the Shepard twins stood, pulling a small book from behind him. It wasn't a datapad or some other electronic, but an old fashioned drell book. Bound by a leather like plant and string and small enough to fit easily between Kolyat's hands.

"I brought a prayer book. Would you care to join me?" He asked the two twins. John and Johanna exchanged a look between themselves before nodding to Kolyat. He accepted this silent agreement, opening the book to the proper page. The room went silent, no one saying anything as they sat there, waiting for Kolyat to begin.

"Kalahira, this ones heart is pure but beset by wickedness and contention." Kolyat began before handing the book Johanna. She took a deep breath and continued.

"Guide this one to where the traveller never tires, the lover never leaves, and the hungry never starve." Johanna finished, passing the book to John a bit too quickly to maintain the stoic expression she had.

"Guide these two Kalahira, and they will be a companion to you as they were to me." John finished, closing the book as the prayer ended. Thane was silent, his gasps for air and coughing gone as he stared at the ceiling. Then without a word, he turned towards the window and he took his final breath. Katori wiped her eyes, reaching over as their friend passed away, closing the Drell's eyes to make it seem as though he was sleeping.

John clenched his fist as he thought about that. Thane did not deserve this death, he did not deserve to die like this. He deserved to die old, and in his home while at peace. Not at the hands of the assassin. Was this going to be the end for all of them? Falling at the hands of something or someone more superior to them? Were none of them destined for a happy ending, none of them worthy of living a long life? "Kolyat, there's something I don't understand." Johanna's voice snapped John out of his thoughts, bringing his attention back to the living in the room. His sister's voice was barely level and her emotions of heartbreak and sadness leaked into every word. There was also a fear in her eyes, a fear that was beyond anything John had seen. "Why did the last line say they?"

"The prayer was not for him. He has already asked forgiveness for the lives he had taken. His wish was for you." Kolyat turned and faced the two Shepards who were staring at him, watching as the news took its toll on them both. John took a deep breath, and looked at the late assassin.

"Good-bye Thane. You won't be alone long." John told him, though he knew his words were for no one besides himself.

* * *

John stepped out of the room, followed by his sister and Katori, leaving Kolyat behind to mourn in peace at the passing of his father. Johanna hardly said a word of good-bye before walking off down the hospital, not even stopping when John called to her. He sighed and prepared to go after her, stopping only when Katori stepped in the way. "Commander, there is something I need to know."

"What is it?" John asked, watching his sister leave the hospital. There was no point in trying to get past Katori now, he would have to try and catch her another time.

"Are you going after Cerberus and that Kai Leng bastard?" She asked, her voice laced with venom at the very idea of mentioning the man responsible for the death of the man behind them.

"My priorities are the Reapers." John told her.

"But reports say you are constantly clashing with Cerberus forces as well. I've had access to mission reports while I was in the hospital. You've already taken on their forces multiple times. On Mars, at Grissom Academy, On Tuchanka. Can you safely say you don't anticipate another confrontation with Kai Leng?" Katori demanded to know. John thought about this and realized she was right. So long as he and Cerberus were at opposite sides during this war, he was bound to meet Kai Leng at some point.

"No, chances are we will run into him again and we'll have to kill him." John honestly told her.

"Good. Then I want to go with you. And when we do meet that bastard again, I want to be the one to shove this sword through his black heart." Katori said, raising her katana as she said so. John looked at her, her cybernetic eyes almost glowing red as they responded to the amount of hate she was showing in her face.

"We won't meet him right away. Chances are we will be dealing with the Reapers before we deal with more of Cerberus." John tried to dissuade. Katori calmed a little, nodding her understanding.

"Of course Commander, I guessed as much. And I am willing to do my part to help with the war. Reapers are easy to deal with, I fought my way off of Earth after all. But that man who just died was a good man and friend. A man who deserved to die on his own accord and not the end of a blade of an honourless akumabito. And I will make sure Thane is avenged." Katori told him.

"There's an old saying my father always told me. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." John told her.

"I'm already blind Commander." She responded, her eyes whirring as if to make a point. John rubbed the back of his head as he realized his point was lost on her. Still, as much as he disproved of the woman's misinterpretation of his point, he needed the help. According to Bailey, she managed to hold her own against the Cerberus assassin for some time, while John and his team were almost useless against Kai Leng.

"Alright Katori, the Normandy's in the Docking bay." John told her with a sigh. He would discuss this more when they were aboard the ship and safe from wandering ears. Katori nodded and bowed her head at this.

"Arigato, Shepard-San." She told him before turning around and leaving. John watched her leave before tapping his omni-tool to see what was wrong with his translator.

* * *

"So, how did you find me?" Johanna asked the Turian as he sat down in the chair right beside her. They were in Chora's Den, an old bar down on Zakera Ward that her brother had once shot up. It had evolved since then, no longer a gentlemen's club but a well-meaning bar since the new owner had taken over, Wrex having killed the last one. There was less naked Asari and less pervy customers, but it was still a bar in the low end of the Wards, maintaining its looks. It had been almost untouched by Cerberus, like most of the lower wards as they seemed almost entirely focused on the Presidium. It made sense, Cerberus definitely didn't have the manpower to siege the entire station at once.

"Put out some feelers. Your brother said you disappeared after Thane died, so I probed old friends to see if they spotted a certain red-head storming about." Garrus responded, waving the bartender down and ordering a drink. "So, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Came her for some blue-skinned action and found my hopes dashed. I was about to go somewhere else a little more fun, but then you showed up." Johanna shrugged, acting as though she was serious. Garrus had seen it before. It was what she always did when she got scared. She hid, hiding her insecurity and vulnerability from everyone.

"Uh huh. So what's the real reason then?" Garrus said as he got his drink from a human bar maid and turned to face Johanna. She sighed, and drained what appeared to be her sixth glass of brandy, before shakily putting the cup down. Then she rested her head on the palm of her hand and groaned.

"How many drinks must I have before I am so drunk I forget my own name?" She complained, ignoring the question posed to her. She looked up to see Garrus still staring at her expectantly, awaiting the answer to his question. She sighed and waved for the bartender to get her yet another round of brandy. Nothing was said until the bartender returned with yet another glass of alcohol for the Shepard twin, setting it down in front of her. Johanna didn't grab it right away, choosing instead to stare intently at it as if it held some sort of answer in it's brown liquid. "I'm scared, okay? Not of dying because of the Reapers, not because Cerberus is kicking our asses, but because I don't want to end up like Thane."

"So, you're just scared of dying in general?" Garrus guessed, his voice calm and comforting. Johanna barked out a laugh before grabbing the glass in front of her and drinking it in a manner of three seconds. She waved her hand to order another and turned to Garrus.

"If only it was that simple. No, Gare Bear, I'm not afraid of death. As Jack once put it, its just a fucking on/off switch." She paused as another glass of brandy was laid down in front of her. "No, I fear becoming like Thane. I don't want to become the person that has take deep breaths just to get some air, or the person who's every sentence is interrupted by a bout of horrible coughing. I don't want to become so frail that a single wound would end my entire life no matter the medical expertise I give." She didn't chug this brandy, choosing instead to sip it slowly as she spilled out her secrets. Garrus wondered if it was because she was reasonably drunk at this point, or because they had finally reached a point in their relationship where she trusted him with her biggest worry.

"Please, as if your disease could stop you. You are a Shepard remember?" Garrus told her with a reassuring laugh. She cocked a single eyebrow at him, wondering what that had to do with anything. "Your brother was killed and all it did was piss him off. I doubt something as small as deteriorating lungs would stop the Great Johanna. You could be on the brink of death and still managed to whoop the ass of everyone on the Normandy." Garrus paused, glancing around as if looking for someone in particular before leaning close and whispering "And that includes your brother."

Johanna smiled before finishing off the rest of her drink with a hefty gulp. "Damn right!" She called at the top of her lungs and she leapt to her feet. "And I'll be damned if anyone forgets it!" Her face began to flush red and she stumbled holding onto the bar. "Oh crap, someone please stop the bar from spinning."

"Uh, maybe that's enough to drink." Garrus told her as he raised a single hand to keep her steady. She drunkenly smiled at Garrus and a glint of mischievousness came to her eyes, making Garrus grow cautious.

"Oh no way. My boyfriend is going to take me on a bar crawl throughout the citadel. Any bar that is open, we are going to drink dry!" She announced, before grabbing the hand that had been steadying her and firmly pulling the owner to the exit. Garrus sighed in defeat before allowing himself to be dragged easily along by the drunken Shepard, the turian's drink remaining at the bar, untouched.

**Heyo! This was a side to Katori that was never seen in David and Goliath. She was supposed to seem abnormally calm in most situations but found herself with a real penchant for vengeance. Also, I happened to notice the Citadel gets back really quickly after the Citadel attack, so I made my own guess as to why this is. And I can finally get to the missions I have wanted to redo for a long time, so less rehashing! YAY! anyways, I'll be back soon with the Tali reintroduction! **


	13. Chapter 13

**Heyo! Sorry for the late update. Class and whatnot. Anywho, I don't have much to say beyond only a few more rehashments before we can finally get some original content in here. Just stick it out until after the Rannoch mission, which I will try to get to as fast as I can without seeming rushed. Read, Enjoy, Review.**

"I hate life." Johanna muttered as she leaned against the elevator as John climbed aboard. He smiled and clapped his hands loudly, causing his sister to flinch in pain. "Do you want me to castrate you? I can do it you know. I don't even care about the consequences. I will let the Reapers win." Johanna threatened while sending him a death glare. He chuckled a little at the threat and returned his attention to the elevator. With everything back in order, and his priority now back to being the Reapers, he was back securing Alliances for the aid of earth. And he was finally given the go to go find the one species he had anticipated finding. The Quarians. Despite his current meeting being with the Admirals of the Quarian fleet, John hoped he would have the time to look for his Quarian girlfriend amidst the Quarian fleet.

"This is what you get for getting so wasted, I had to carry you and Garrus back to the Normandy." John told her with a mocking tone in his voice. Johanna groaned and set her head down on the elevator walls.

"Damn, I thought that was just a smart mouthed elcor that dragged me back. There goes my fabulously exaggerated story to tell future generations." Johanna muttered to herself. John let out another laugh that caused Johanna to flinch in pain once more, but one she shared nevertheless. "It'll be nice to see Tali again." Johanna assured as things quieted down.

"I don't doubt it." John said with a smile. As happy as John was at the possibility of meeting Tali again, there had been a few moments in every night that John worried that Tali had been killed by a Reaper that had found the Quarian Fleet or in the battle with the Geth and he would have no way of knowing. But those moments lasted only a few seconds before he reassured himself that Tali was not about to be killed by the Reapers or Geth any time soon. Still, his meeting was with the Admirals at the moment, not Tali. He had to remember that. He sobered up after this realization and put on his straight face, realizing he would have to, in fact….deal with the admirals again. His last meeting had left him more than angry at the time. Not something he needed now. Though it didn't help that they were currently at war with the geth, being torn apart by the enemies that he had warned them not to fight.

"Don't worry John, you'll be fine." Johanna told him, noticing his change in demeanour and placing a hand on his shoulder. "If not, I'll kick their ass for you." Those words reminded John about what he needed to do later on. Something that was a long time coming. "So, going to change into your official uniform?"

"Yeah, Joker tells me we just docked with the Quarian envoy ship. Can't have myself looking unofficial." John shrugged. A thought struck him, realizing that he was about to deal with the Quarian admirals once more. "This is going to be a long day."

* * *

"Commander Shepard. It is a pleasure to see you again. Though I wish it was under better circumstances." Admiral Raan vas Tonbay greeted as she walked into the room. Behind her, the other three admirals filed in. Admiral Koris took his position near Shepard, on the other side from Admiral Xen and Gerrel, with Raan taking her place between them. All of them wore black environment suits, appropriately armoured to protect them from small arms fire.

"I had hoped for your support in the fight against the Reapers. What happened?" John questioned, learning that any sort of political pandering would not be helpful towards these Admirals.

"Seventeen days ago, with precision strikes on four geth systems, the Quarians initiated the war to retake our homeworld." Gerrel answered the question. His voice was full of pride and happiness at the idea.

"Which was a clear violation against our treaty with the Council to avoid provoking the geth!" Koris responded angrily, clearly still unhappy with the fact. John could relate, taking only a moment to laugh on the irony that he was siding with Koris this time. Still, he knew that was a faulty argument at the moment, seeing as the Council was under full assault from the Reapers. He doubted useless treaties held any actual authority anymore.

"A treaty violation is nothing compared to the recovery of our homeworld and advanced AI technology." Rebuked Admiral Xen, in her cold and calm fashion. John paused as he thought about his interactions with this particular Admiral. She barely talked when at Tali's trial, only when John spoke to her afterwords. Still, even with their limited contact, Xen always struck him as the most dangerous one of the Admirals. She was smart and cunning, but...unstable with radical ideas. A dangerous combination if John was to be any judge. At least they all had the same goal at the current moment.

Rannoch, the homeworld that they had lost over 300 hundred years ago to the geth, was now under siege by its former occupants. There was much debate of who fired the first shot. Geth sympathizers said that the Quarians attempted to kill the geth out of pure fear while warmongers claim that they were given ample reason to wage battle against the geth. But he wasn't here to indulge in a political debate. He needed the Quarian fleet to assist Earth, and the Quarian fleet needed him to save them from the Geth.

"You're throwing yourselves at the Geth? Again?" John asked, his disbelief evident in his voice though not surprised.

"What do you expect? Whoever learns from the near genocide of their own species?" Said a familiar voice, as she decloaked next to him. She regarded her brother with a nod before turning her attention back to the Quarian admirals. John rolled his eyes but promised himself that he would deal with this later.

"This time, we may have destroyed our people for good." Koris agreed with Johanna's comment. For once, none of the other admirals argued Koris's point.

"We'd driven them back to our home system when this signal began to broadcast to all Geth ships." Gerrel informed, stepping forward and pulling up the image on the galaxy map. They let the signal play for only a moment, displaying the algorithms they had deciphered along with those that hadn't. His sister followed the code for a few seconds, absorbing it for a few seconds before shaking her head.

"Reapers. They have to make everything more complicated." She grumbled, rubbing her head.

"Under Reaper control, the geth are significantly more effective. Our fleet is pinned in the home system. If we're going to win….." Gerrel began, closing the map and turning towards John.

"Win?" Koris interrupted before he finished. "You insisted on involving the civilian ships, Admiral Gerrel! We need to retreat or we'll lose the liveships!"

"Wait a minute, you have civilian vessels in an active warzone?" John questioned skeptically.

"Each Quarian ship is equipped with dreadnaught level firepower and the liveships contain vital resources necessary to keep the Fleet well stock. Every ship adds to our fleets effectiveness. If we left out even a single ship….." Gerrel began to defend the action.

"You could have spared the lives of innocent Civilians!" John pointed out, rather angrily. He shook his head and looked at the War room map once more. Now was not the time. He could think of many reasons to get around the resource problem that would have plagued the Quarians. "Where is the signal coming from?" He asked in a much more calm tone.

"Here. A geth dreadnaught. It can outgun anything we've got and its heavily defended. It's protected by almost two fleets of Geth ships, with countless fighters. We attempted an attack earlier but…" Gerrel paused, and none of the other admirals finished the sentence. It was obvious enough to guess what had happened.

"The Normandy's stealth drives can get us in undetected. We could board, disable the Reaper command signal, maybe sabotage the ship while we're there." Johanna suggested, pulling up a magnified image of the dreadnaught. Even as a 3-D model, the dreadnaught looked vicious, worrying John about what would happen should the Normandy be spotted. Surely nothing good.

"Yes. Cutting off the signal should throw the geth in complete disarray." Xen agreed with Johanna, sounding almost sceptical that it was her idea.

"And while you are confused, you get your civilian ships to a safe distance. Preferably with the rest of the Quarian fleet behind it." John told them, pushing away from the map. "But seeing as that would leave you open to geth fire, the rest of you can focus fire on the disabled geth fleet. When we get out of the dreadnought, feel free to blast away."

"Good, our civilian ships have seen too much fighting already." Koris agreed with John. John still found it more and more odd that Koris, the man who had blatantly attempted to exile Tali, was now the one standing with John's decisions.  
"They're already knee deep in the shit, might as well finish crossing the river. The Civilian ships should stay and add to the fire." Johanna pointed out, leaning in close and whispering so that the Admirals couldn't hear her. John shook his head at the idea, knowing that more lives than necessary would be lost should this happen.

"Are you certain you can disable the signal?" Koris wondered.

"Please, there isn't a system in the world I can't sabotage. I'd love the give the Reapers a crack." Johanna bragged at this.

"We'll get you out of here safely, Admirals." John followed with. Johanna smiled at this, patting John roughly on the back. Raan, across the table from Shepard, tilted her head as if receiving a message and turned towards the door.

"Our newest Admiral has also offered her technical expertise." Raan introduced as the door opened to let in a very welcome sight. The purple clad Quarian, with a confident stride, walked into the room and looking down on the people near the War Room map, said:

"Tali'Zorah Vas Normandy reporting for duty." John smiled, probably larger than he should have, before coughing to hide it and turning towards the other Admirals in the room.

"I'll ready a team to hit that Dreadnaught." He told them, and then started around the table just barely after they had finished their thanks for the assistance. Tali had already turned around and was heading out the door, though the occasional glance back told her she was expecting John to follow. Thankfully, Johanna remained behind, just smirking after John as she watched him go, before activating her tactical cloak.

John watched Tali as she walked, admiring her new stride. It wasn't the stride of the girl he had saved on the Citadel, who was scared and jittery. This wasn't the same stride that belonged to the girl who he had saved on Haestrom, unsure of her own expertise. No, this was the stride of self-confidence and belief. This was a woman's stride. It made his heart bounce around a little more as he realized how much he must have missed while he was on Earth. He walked close to her as they left the War Room, but not close enough to arouse suspicion from the other Admirals.

"So, Admiral?" John questioned as they stepped into the conference room. Tali shrugged and turned towards Shepard.

"It's mostly a formality. I'm an expert on geth." Tali explained to him before walking into the conference room. John smiled and followed after her.

"That you are." John agreed, stepping into the conference room and leaning against one of the glass walls with his arms crossed. Tali had stopped in front of one of the windows, staring at the stars outside as she did so.

"Heh. I'm glad you're here." Tali finally admitted after a few moments of silence of staring into the peaceful void.

"Why didn't you tell me? I would've helped sooner." John told her. She sighed and her shoulders slumped as he said this, turning to face him as she said:

"Thanks but….I knew you had your own problems. I'm sorry about Earth." She told him, apologetic though with no reason to be. John understood her reasoning. She turned back towards the window, looking at the stars again. "We've got the largest fleet in the galaxy. If you can help us, we'll hit the Reapers with everything we've got." She paused as if she just considered something before letting out a sigh of exasperation and placing her visor in her hand. "Or however much is left from this stupid war."

"I thought you'd support the invasion." John remarked, stepping forward. He still remembered her impassioned speech that she had given onboard the Alerai, how much she yearned to live without her envirosuit and the reason so many Quarians insisted on getting back the homeworld. It seemed odd, seeing her upset about the war with the geth.

"No." She confided after a long pause. "After talking to Legion, I thought maybe there was a chance for peace."

"So, why help them?" John wondered. She turned towards him, a stern but defeated presence about her.

"I'm an Admiral. People look to me for guidance. Public disagreement would divide the fleet." She told him. John nodded in understanding. He had done things he hadn't agreed with just to keep the galaxy together long enough for this war. Things like almost shooting Mordin. He quickly pushed the thought from his head, returning his attention back to the woman in front of him. Another thing came to mind, something that had been bugging him ever since she walked into that War Room.

"And what about us?" He asked. "Would us being together divide the fleet?"

"No! Well….possibly. I don't know." She stuttered out before giving in with a sigh. Quickly, she shook her head before walking past John, stopping at the table. "But right now, I've got civilian ships taking fire. Can we keep this quiet….at least in front of the admirals?" John smiled as he thought about what Samantha had told him about the media on the Citadel. Maybe he would bring that up later, when the Quarian fleet wasn't under heavy geth fire.

"Sure thing….Miss Vas Normandy." He said, leaning against the conference room wall again and smiling at her.

"Thank you. If you want to talk in private, maybe you could invite me up to your cabin?" She stopped and looked at John, her voice clearly on the suggestive side. John smiled and gave an innocent shrug.

"Maybe I could." She nodded at this, but John could sense the smile that she was hiding underneath her mask. She turned away, and started walking back out to the CIC, John nodding and turning back towards the War room. He had to discuss his strategy with the Admirals still, and what would happen when he dropped those shields. "And for the record….." He stopped as Tali said this, turning and facing the Quarian. "…Still totally worth it." With that, she turned and left the room, leaving John with a happy smile on his face and chuckle underneath his breath.

**YAY! Tali's back. Anyways self explanatory chapter. I probably include just the basics from the dreadnought mission and I'll get to Katori before long. Don't worry. She is absent but not forgotten as with Samantha. Also, I'm thinking of a "On the Normandy" ME3 version. **


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